Just Watch The Fireworks
by undiscoveredwriter
Summary: “Do you love me?” She asked nervously. “You know I do, couldn't stop if I tried,” he replied, his hands moving across her skin, shaking at the contact. “Say it,” she whispered, her lips almost touching his. “I love you,” he murmured into her lips.
1. Better Days

**Title: **Just Watch The Fireworks  
**Author: **undiscoveredwriter  
**Pairings:** Brooke/Julian. Brooke/Lucas.  
**Rating: **Teen/Adult; Adult content. Mild language.  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Tree Hill.  
**Summary: **AUish. Brooke Davis, the beautiful, popular girl everyone in Tree Hill loves. She is the party girl. She has fun and regrets nothing. Julian Baker, the gorgeous bad boy everyone in Tree Hill (except his friends) loathes. They're the same age but he doesn't attend school. She's had an easy life but his has been a rough ride from the get go. They meet, arguments and witty banter occur but will this chance meeting create an unexpected relationship?

**A/N: **I have taken names from Supernatural and the movie Never Back Down (so I don't own those). The title of this chapter is a song by Pete Murray. I origanlly wrote this story as a BrookeOC fanfic but then Julian came into the equation so I decided to change it.

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**Chapter One**

**_Better Days_**

Tree Hill.

A small town in North Carolina, on the east coast of the United States of America.

From the outside, it's like any ordinary town. Beautifully built houses with white picket fences and neatly kept lawns. Children playing, having fun within their town's beloved streets. The residents going to the town's usual Friday Night basketball game, enjoying the company of their neighbours. Everyone, basically, getting along. Teenagers falling in love and spending the rest of their lives together. But with this town not everything, that meets the eye, is as it seems...

There is one thing that seemed to put the perfect image of Tree Hill out of place and that something was Julian Baker.

He and his friends reek havoc among the Tree Hill residents, making their lives almost unbearable. He's definitely the bad boy and his friends follow his every move, doing as he does. Everyone knows about Julian and his friends; Dean Winchester, Jake Tyler, Carter Webb and Dean's brother, Sam Winchester. They do what they want and don't care what people think of them.

Although, that would change for Julian, as soon, he would care about the opinions of a certain brunette.

His eyes opened slowly and he groaned. _Great, another hang-over! _He thought. He grabbed his head and sat up, taking in his surroundings. He looked around and noticed that he was in his house, if you could call it that. He looked to his left and noticed that nobody was there but there was a note: _Amazing night, maybe another time... _Another girl as well as another hang-over.

"Julian!" He heard a voice shouting his name.

"What?" He murmured.

"Julian!" The voice shouted again.

"What?" He said back.

"Julian!" Again, the voice shouted his name.

"What?" He shouted back.

Dean walked into the room, an amused expression on his face.

"Jeez dude, chill! I just wanted to know how last night went...blond, huh? How was she?"

"She was insane, dude! The things she did," he whistled as he shook his head, "they were insane," he smirked.

"Nice! So, what we doing today?" Dean asked.

"Urm, I dunno, isn't there a club opening, Trip? or Tric? We should go check it out."

"Yeah, okay, I'll call the guys," Dean said as getting up and walked out of the room.

He rubbed his eyes and took a closer look at his room. It wasn't exactly luxurious, in fact it was far from it but to him, it was home; one of the very many he had lived in. Many people think they know his life story. Sure, he drinks, he smokes and sometimes if his day was extra hard, he would do a line but what the people of Tree Hill said about him were mostly rumours.

He hated rumours.

People making pointless gossip and possibly making someones life that little harder, all for their own pleasure. It was wrong.

Of course they knew the story of his parents. His father? Unable to walk and sometimes talk due to the level of alcohol substance inside him; A drunk. His mother? Currently whoring herself up on a street corner; A hooker. His life was far from perfect, far from okay but he didn't care about his mom and dad, they hadn't cared about him, so he simply returned the favour. He didn't go to school but he had a job, paying his own way.

At times it was hard but whose life wasn't?

He just wishes his was a bit easier.

-x-

It was a school day; another one in a long line of many.

For that reason, she woke up fairly early, although she wasn't too happy because, for some reason, some idiot had a party the night before. However, she decided that she had missed too many lessons already and they weren't even a month into the school year, so she got up pretty early to make it to at least two or three lessons.

Although, she doubts she'll make it to those lessons, it's just nice to think she put the effort in.

Person in question? Brooke Davis.

Popular. Pretty. Party girl. She was wanted, needed, loved and loathed, envied and desired. People jumped at the chance to do something with her or for her. She was a queen. She was _the _Queen of Tree Hill High School. The school were her circle of friends consisted of Peyton Sawyer, Rachel Gattina, Haley James-Scott, Bevin Mirskey, Nathan Scott, Lucas Scott, Jake Jagielski, Antwon 'Skills' Taylor, Marvin 'Mouth' Mcfadden and not to forget, Nathan's dimwitted friend, Tim Smith. It was quite a large circle and they all trusted each other (sort of) but either way they knew they would always be there for each other.

She dragged herself out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. She took off her clothes and stepped into the shower. She turned the knob and flinched slightly as the scolding water made contact with her delicate skin. She leaned against the back of the shower and slowly slid down, holding her head in her hands.

It's times like these she wanted to curl up in bed and cry.

Everyone thought she had an easy life and it was pretty easy, it just wasn't what she wanted. She wanted a normal childhood and a normal up-bringing but hers was anything but normal. Her parents were absent for the most part and the only memory of them being an actual family was on her 7th birthday. After that, her birthdays seemed to consist of her, the nanny and a whole load of presents that her parents had sent from where ever they were at that moment in time.

In a perfect world, her childhood would of consisted of her and her parents spending birthdays, christmas' and everyday together. She would have gladly gave up the popularity and the pleasures that the money gave her for her perfect world but now she understands why people say, _'you can't always get what you want.' _She never did get what she had wanted and that is why she has countless fears and insecurities but nobody knows about them, and she doesn't plan on telling anyone soon.

She got out of the shower and got dressed. Of course she looked like perfection; beauty redefined.

She walked outside and noticed a guy, she didn't recognize, walking down her street. Thinking nothing of it, she walked to her car. She went to open her door but dropped her keys.

"Shit," she muttered, bending down to pick them up and then she heard someone whistle behind her.

"Nice ass," the person said and she whipped her head around, anger noticeable in her eyes.

"What?" She spat, glaring at him.

"I said, _nice ass,_" he smirked.

"Listen _jackass_, I don't know who you think you are bu-" she was cut off mid sentence.

"Oh, sorry. I'm Julian, Julian Baker. And you are fine!" He said, the smirk still plastered on his face.

Even though he was acting like an impossibly rude guy, his heart was beating really _really _fast. He noticed how her eyes had a sparkle, even though she was angry and her lips were perfectly glossed. Realizing, he was staring with his mouth slightly ajar, he subtly shook his head.

"Well, to me, you're a jackass, so I'll call you jackass and from now on, if you comment on my ass again, I'll kick you somewhere that'll hurt real bad," she threatened and raised her eyebrow. "Got it?"

"Mmm, fiesty too," he smirked but she sent him an evil glare, "Got it, sweetheart," he told her and she nodded.

"Good," she spat and went to climb in her car but he stopped her.

"Hey!" She turned around, "Nice ass," he smirked and walked away, while Brooke just let out an annoyed scream and then got into her car and drove off.

_This morning totally sucks! _She thought.

-x-

He climbed onto his motorbike and revved the engine a bit, making sure he disturbed people.

It wasn't his sole purpose in life to annoy the inhabitants of Tree Hill but it seemed to come natural to him, as crazy as it sounds. And even though he knew he could stop, that he should stop, he didn't. It was like the thrill of being a bad boy, being in danger; doing something wrong, made his life more exciting and took his mind off the issues that lurked within the back of his mind.

And despite the face that the things that lurked within the back of his mind were good memories, he didn't want to think about them. He feels like it's easier to live with all the bad memories because then, the doesn't have to face up to the disappointment that his parents changed.

He has a vague recollection of when he was a toddler, about three years old, when his family was borderline sane.

If he concentrated carefully, he could still remember the joyful smiles on his parents faces and their undeniable want and need to bond with their son. As he remembered, a small smile graceds his face but it soon disappeared when he remembered the situation he was in; living rough and doing wrong. He didn't want this, any of this, but his journey through life took a very unexpected turn and put him on a direction that was sure to kill him.

As he cruised through the streets, he took his time in looking at the surroundings. He never took much notice before.

Before, the trees were just green and stiff. The houses were just plain and had perfect families living in them. The streets just seemed happy and children were playing but today he looked deep within and noticed the truth.

The trees flowed in sync with the wind, omitting a fierce, gusting sound. The houses seemed more normal and their usual perfect families seemed to hold certain flaws. The streets seemed awkward and rigid, with the small children sitting gloomily on the sidewalk.

And at the moment, he realised, that maybe it was all his fault. But despite thinking this, he would never say it out loud.

Never.

He finally arrived at his destination and walked up to the door, going straight in, just like he always did and through to the back, where Dean, Jake, Carter and Sam were. He nodded his head, greeting them and they returned the gesture.

"What's up, man?" Jake said.

"Nothing," he paused and smirked, "Met this fine ass girl today, though, dude," he smirked and they all smirked back.

"Nice. Did she have an awesome personality?" Carter asked, grinning like an idiot.

Every group had someone who was slightly slower than the rest, not stupid, just slower and for their small group it was Carter. Jake hit him on the back of his head, causing him to let out a small, _'Oww!'_

"Well you know I have to park my bike, like, four streets away, well she lives on one of those stuck up streets, dude, little high school chick!" He laughed and they laughed with him.

It was like this all the time. The would talk about girls, booze, drugs or something in relation with them. At times it bored him but what could he do? The worst was, whenever he laughed or grinned or smirked, they did the same.

"Shame," Sam said and rolled his eyes.

If anything, Sam was the brains. He knew what they were dealing with and he knew how to rile Julian but it got to a certain point when Julian woud tell him enough and he would stop because there is a certain point when it comes to him and if you pass it, you face a nasty wrath.

"You got a problem, Sammy?" Julian questioned, raising his eyebrow in a threatening way.

"Nope. No problem." Sam said back.

"Good," he paused and looked at the others who were looking on, "Let's party!" He shouted and they clunked their bottles together.

Sometimes his life was easy!

-x-

It definitely was time to party.

They went from bar to bar until it was 8pm, which was Tric's opening time. They weren't drunk but they weren't sober either. They had done a few lines and Julian's head was currently buzzing. He wasn't in a state were he wouldn't remember anything or he would do something completely idiotic, that could land him in a cell for a night. He was just at an average point were he would remember and not do something stupid but if he did, by any chance, do something stupid, he could blame it on the concoction of alcohol and drugs.

He knew in his head that taking the drugs was wrong, that it could kill him but he was all about living on the edge, living life in the fast lane. At the end of the day, he just wants to live a life that he will be able to remember and look and say, _'Hell of a life I lived; hell of a life!' _

But he knows that could change with him taking some many substances together. But on some level he wants it to change for the better. On some level, he wants to have a normal life with a family of his own, living in a beautiful town house, with neatly kept lawn and a white picket fence.

The five of them walked into the club and immediately, all eyes were on them.

People whispering, trying to dissect the daily events of five boys' day. For them, it's so natural, so easy to try and belittle them because of all the chaos they've caused and for them, it's a mere dose of revenge. They can't physically do anything to them but they can try and get in their minds, talk about them and cause them emotional harm.

Although, it'll take more than a few gossiping people to cause them any harm, physically or emotionally.

They walked further in and got themselves a booth. Carter, being the pathetically, dim-witted guy he is, jumped at the chance of buying drinks but Jake went with him in case there was any trouble. As usual, the guys did a scan of the place to check if there was any potentially bed worthy girls.

"Dude, check out her over there!" Dean exclaimed and Julian craned his neck to see what girl got his friend so excited.

"Where?" He asked, not able to see the girl.

"Over there!" Dean pointed and Julian finally saw who he was talking about.

It was the girl from this morning; the girl with the _nice ass_.

He smirked.

"I see, maybe I'll take a trip over there later," he said, his eyes still firmly glued on Brooke.

"Dude, I saw her first." Dean whined.

"Well, we'll see who she wants more," Julian smirked and Dean backed down, knowing that if they lined up a whole load of girls, the majority would pick Julian.

Jake and Carter came back with the drinks; four buds. They all took long, slurpy swigs, each one finishing with a refreshing _ahhhh_. They, again, did a check of the club and this time, Jake, Dean, Sam and even Carter went in search for their next girl. He, however, stayed within the booth and somewhat basked in his thoughts, something he never did in a club.

It was when he saw her again, did he come out of his thoughts; long, brown hair in soft curls and sparkling green eyes. A soft smile graced his lips but he made no attempt to get up and approach her. He simply felt content in watching her, admiring her, from a distance.

As if feeling his penetrating gaze, she turned around and their eyes came into contact with each other. She knew she should of looked away or shoot evil glares in his direction but it seemed impossible. She could tell her face was soft and, shockingly to her, his was, too.

Only when did they realize that their gaze was potentially treading on dangerous ground, did they look away.

He sighed a long, dragged out sigh and made his way to the bar.

"A beer," he mumbled.

"Bottle or draft?" The bartender asked and he looked up, a gaze as cold as ice shooting from his eyes.

"Bottle," he stated, dryly.

The bartender placed the bottle in front of him and swiftly walked off. He picked it up and took a drink, leaning his back against the bar top. He seemed to go into his own dream world. His eyes blurring to the flashing lights.

That was until he felt a presence beside him.

"Apple martini," he heard her raspy voice demand and he knew straight away who it was.

He turned and looked at her and she looked at him, too.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Julian Baker aka jackass," she smirked.

"Whatever," he mumbled and she looked confused, expecting him to comeback with some witty remark or insult but he didn't.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" She taunted but it only sparked his anger.

"Actually, no," he glared at her, "I just don't talk to whores," he said, coldly and he averted his eyes from her but just before he did, he noticed the hurt expression that came to her face.

"That's funny, actually, because every time I've seen you around town, you've been with a whore...or was that just your Mom?" She said back, just as cold.

She knew she hit an nerve because his head jerked in her direction, his jaw clenched, fists tightened and she could see the anger in his eyes.

"You know nothing about my Mom or me, so butt out, okay?" He said angrily, getting up in her face and he could tell she was slightly scared so he backed away but her friends had already noticed the commotion and came over.

"Is he bothering you, Brooke?" Lucas asked, glaring at Julian.

"Oh, 'coz a pretty boy like you is gunna do something about it!" Julian said, smirked and when he said that, Nathan, Jake, Skillz, Mouth and Tim appeared form behind Lucas and he smirked at Julian but Julian only laughed.

"No, _we'll _do something about it!" Nathan said.

"To be fair, it's got nothing to do with you guys. I was just talking to a girl at a bar," he said and winked at Brooke, who looked at him in disgust.

"Well that girl, is with us, so walk away," Lucas said, motioning him to walk away with his hands.

"Well, we're with him, so you guys walk away," said a voice came from behind Julian, causing everyone looked to see who it was and Dean, Carter, Jake and Sam all walked up to stand by Julian, who just smirked.

They all stared each other down. Julian and Lucas. Dean and Nathan. Jake and Skillz. Carter and Tim. Sam and Jake. Mouth was just left to stand with the girls who looked on in fear and maybe a bit of excitment, but they would never admit that.

"What's going on here, guys?" A tall, well built, African-American security guard asked.

"These were causing trouble, as usual," Lucas said.

"You know us, Ray, never cause trouble on your turf. We know the consequences," Julian said.

"Julian? Julian Baker?" He chuckled. "Haven't seen you in a while, man. Where you been? I invited you to little Ray-Ray's birthday party!" Ray said.

"You know me: places to go, people to see. I would have come but you know how it is, bro...I sent him a present," Julian explained and Ray nodded then looked at Lucas.

"This boy here been coming to see me for seven years. Hasn't had a proper home since he was ten years old," Ray told them and Julian looked down, ashamed and Brooke softened at this new information. "He may be tainted but he's a good boy. Now, I don't want you causing no more trouble, you hear me?" He asked and Lucas looked at him incredulously.

"Wha-" Lucas went to say something but was cut off.

"You hear me?" Ray asked, sternly.

"Yeah, I hear you!" Lucas said and walked away; everyone followed him but Brooke stayed behind and Peyton noticed this.

"Brooke?" She questioned.

"I'll be there in a minute," she smiled and Peyton walked off.

Brooke walked over to Julian, who had his back faced to her and gently tapped him on the back. When he turned around, they all turned around.

"Can I help you?" He said politely and that shocked her.

"Yeah, urm, can I talk to you?" She asked and he waited for her to continue. "Alone?" He nodded and they walked to a more secluded part of the club.

"What did you want?" He mumbled and it almost seemed like he was shy.

"I just wanted to say sorry. Your right, I don't know anything about you or your family and I shouldn't have said what I did," she said, regretfully and he looked shocked. Genuinely shocked.

She thought he wasn't going to saying anything, so she began to walk away.

"I'm sorry, too," he called out so she stopped and turned around. "For calling you a..a...for calling you something I shouldn't have. I'm sorry," he looked around a bit and then continued to talk, "It's weird, saying sorry, I don't normally do it, even though I have plenty of reason to, I just don't, so it's weird that I did with you. Get it?" She nodded.

"I'm not normally one to apologize either but I did," she smiled, softly.

He moved forward slowly but she didn't seem alert or alarmed, she just moved towards him and as he gently cupped her cheek, she leaned into it.

"I don't know why I'm getting these feelings and that kills me but it kills me more to know," he paused and swallowed, "To know I can never have you."

He dropped his hand and she looked hurt but she also seemed to understand.

"I know," she whispered. "I should go and see if Lucas is okay," she announced and he looked wounded.

He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and she looked at him curiously.

"Here," he handed it to her, "It's my number, call me if you need anything or whatever but I'll be there," he told her and she looked hesitant at first but his words seemed sincere and against her better judgment, she took the piece of paper and put it in her purse.

She leaned up and placed a kiss on his cheek, not making eye contact and then walked away.

She let out a shaky breath and didn't dare look back.

_What have I just got myself into? _she thought.

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**A/N: **So there you go, first chapter of my first Brulian fanfic. I hope you all enjoy, please review.

- undiscoveredwriter


	2. You Could Be Happy

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**A/N: **The title is the name of a song by Snow Patrol. I hope you all enjoy.

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**Chapter Two**

**_You Could Be Happy_**

Monday morning and that only meant one thing; work.

He worked as a mechanic at a garage owned by a man named Stevie, Ray's (the bodyguard) brother. He was lucky that Ray took a liking to him or he didn't know what he would have done for money if he didn't get the job. But Stevie was strict and they were rules: Do not be late. No visitors at the shop. No attitude. Do not slack. So, the rules meant he had to get up at 7.30am. It didn't make it any easier that he went out the night before and now his head was throbbing.

He made a strict promise with himself, not to go out partying the night before he had to work.

He never was good at keeping promises.

He reluctantly dragged himself out of the bed and made his way to the kitchen, where he made himself a cup of coffee and got some Advil. He let out a yawn and rubbed his neck whilst looking out of his kitchen window. It was pointless really because all he was looking at was a brick wall but he looked out of it anyway.

He trailed back to his bedroom, climbed out of his shorts, grabbed a towel and made his way to the bathroom. He turned on the shower and stepped into the scolding water, yet, even though it was so hot, he didn't flinch. He spent little to no time in the shower and soon he was dressing himself in his work overalls.

An all-in-one blue jumpsuit, a wife beater and a pair of old sneakers.

He grabbed his helmet and made his way to his bike.

When he got there, he stalled for a bit, hoping he'd see Brooke but after about 10 minutes, there was no sign of her, so he climbed onto his bike and sped off, disappointed.

He reached his destination and found himself a parking space. He walked into the garage at 7.55am, meaning he was five minutes early. He smirked a little because he knew Stevie went soft when he thought he was putting in extra effort. He walked through the garage doors and into Stevie's office, were it looked like he was doing some financial stuff but Julian didn't care about that. As long as he got paid, he was cool with anything Stevie did.

"Hey Ste," he said and Stevie looked up, smiling.

"Your early," he stated and Julian nodded his head.

"Yep...so, is there anything you need me to do?" He asked and Stevie laughed.

"Son, you work here, of course there's something for you to do," he laughed, again and pointed to a banged up Toyota. "Needs the battery and the fan belt changin', also I need you to reattach the bumper, okay?" He explained.

"Yes, sir," Julian responded and with that, he got down to work on the car.

He definitely got lucky with this job.

When he knew he needed to get a job, he thought he'd have to apply a a fast food joint and that wasn't something he particularly wanted to do then Ray said his brother needed help down at his garage but he said that he didn't have any experience with cars, so Ray taught him all the basics about cars and he went for the job. Stevie was a hard case at first, even though Ray had put a good word in and he asked him to do some things he didn't think he would be able to do but he did them and got the job.

Luckily.

He was currently in the middle of exchanging the fan belt when he heard the phone ring and after about three rings, Stevie answered. Although it was quite muffled, he could vaguely hear the conversation and he knew that someone had broken down and like always, he'd have to go and sort it out. He was a little greasy and he wiped his hands on a nearby rag of cloth.

As if on cue, Stevie came out of the office and walked up to him.

"Julian!" He shouted and he looked up from under the hood of the car.

"What?" He questioned.

"I need you to go and pick up a broken down car on Stephenson Drive," he told him, "High school kids," he muttered.

"Okay," he said and stopped what he was doing. He then went and got the keys to the tow truck and hopped into the it. "Was it girls or guys?" He asked with a smirk.

"Girls.," Stevie said, shaking his head but with a smile on his face.

Julian just smirked.

-x-

He drove down the road at a pretty high speed, so he could quickly get to his destination.

As soon as Stevie said that it was girls in need of help, he was straight there. He just needed someone, anyone to get his mind of a certain someone he didn't really want to be thinking about but it seemed almost impossible. Just as he was turning the corner, he caught sight of a blue VW bug and his breath caught in his throat.

He just hoped that what he was thinking wasn't true.

As he was driving down Stephenson Drive, he saw a brunette and two blondes standing by the blue car and he smiled when he saw the brunette throw her head back and laugh but it sooned dropped when he saw a blonde and a brunette guy leaning against the car behind them.

He pulled up in front of the VW bug, grabbed his clipboard and got out of the car.

"Are you the one who called Stevie's Auto Garage?" He asked hesitantly and Brooke nodded her head.

"Yeah, I don't know what it is, so..." she trailed off and he nodded.

He walked to the front of her car and popped the hood , taking a look inside but then he heard someone laugh, a cold and harsh undertone could be heard in the sound.

"Well, well, well," Julian scowled and put the hood back down and came face to face with Lucas, "Look who it is..." he smirked.

"Look man, I don't want any trouble," Julian said and took a sneak glance at Brooke.

"Yeah well trouble seems to follow you about, like the other night at Tric, when you were harassing my girlfriend," Lucas spat and Julian flinched when Lucas said that Brooke was his girlfriend. He kind of guessed it but he was just hoping that he would be wrong and they were just friends.

"That was all you man, I was just talking to her," he nodded towards Brooke, "And you went all psycho boyfriend on me."

"She told me you called her a whore...to me that's harassment, I just stepped in and stopped it," Lucas explained.

"Really? Well did she tell you that I apologised, huh?" He asked and Lucas looked at him confused. "Nah, I didn't think so."

"He said he was sorry?" Lucas asked Brooke.

"Yeah, he did...it was when you stormed off," she explained and he looked at her angry.

"And what? You accepted?" He laughed bitterly, "He's a bad guy, Brooke, one that _cannot_ be trusted," he stated and gently stroked her arm but she shrugged it off.

"I can be friends with whoever I want," she hissed, "And if they turn out to be untrustworthy then that was my mistake, not yours."

"Brooke, all his friends do is treat girls like shit, okay? That's who they are," Lucas said, harshly and Julian jumped in.

"Look, you don't know anything about me, so don't act like you do," he said, his eyes were cold and filled with anger. "And what me and my friends do with girls is none of your business, so why don't you just butt out, okay?" He said, angrily.

"Woah, let's stop at that," Nathan intervened and Julian turned to him.

"Why don't you tell this little bitch to back off, so I can do my job, or I'll make him back off!" He shouted.

They all looked at him shocked and once he saw Lucas wasn't going to say anything else, he made his way back to the car and began to work on it while they chatted amongst themselves.

He wasn't angry about what Lucas had said about him an girls, well he was but he was more bothered that he was putting all those ideas in Brooke's head about him. He didn't want Brooke to think of him as some womanizing lothario who jumped from bed to bed. It was true but he decided that he was going to prove to Brooke that he can be the guy that she deserved.

He was looking carefully at the engine and brakes, when a piece of rubber snapped and lashed against his arm.

"Argh, fuck!" He screamed in pain and Brooke and the others ran to him to see what happened and gasped when they saw the large cut in his arm.

"Oh my god," he heard Brooke whisper.

"He needs to go to the hospital," he heard someone say and he looked down at the blood gushing from his arm and felt nausous.

"What?" He choked, his eyes were blurry.

"Someone call an ambulance," said another person.

"We'll just drive him."

Then everything went black.

-x-

His eyes slowly opened, blinking numerous times to clear the blur in his vision. Once he was able to see clearly he took in his surroundings as he tried to sit up but that task proved difficult when he felt an unbearable pain shoot up his arm and he winced. He craned his neck slightly to get a better look at the room and he knew he was in hospital, that much was obvious. He tried to remember what happened but everything seemed like a blur and his head started to throb. He sighed and relaxed back into the hospital bed, hoping someone would come in and tell him what had happened.

To his shock, the door swung open and in walked five people.

He looked at them shocked as Brooke Haley, Peyton, Lucas and Nathan stood in front of him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, his voice hoarse.

"Don't you remember?" Brooke asked, worriedly.

"No, not really. It's all a blur right now," he closed his eyes and sighed, taking a deep breath before re-opening his eyes, "What happened?"

"You came to fix my car and something broke and it caught your arm and you passed out, so we brought you here," she explained, softly.

He nodded and looked at the others. They looked bored, like they absolutely didn't want to be here. Question he asked himself, why were they there?

"Who have they called?" He asked, quietly.

"Well, your emancipated, so they didn't call your parents and none of your friends answered, so they asked if we would take you home, we said we were you friends, too."

"You guys? My friends?" He laughed, bitterly, "I'm not going anywhere with you," he said, harshly and a hurt look crossed Brooke's features.

"Well it's us or a nice expensive cab." Lucas said, angrily.

"I think I'll go with the cab," he smirked, "Don't be too disheartened girls."

"Your disgusting," Haley spat and looked at him with disgust.

"So, what are you doing here?" He asked and they all looked at each other; what were they doing there?

"We'll go, then," Peyton said then paused, "We just thought you'd like to thank us, you know, for saving your life," she continued, shaking her head after she had spoke.

"I'm sure if it got too bad, Brooke would give me CPR, right babe?" He said, arrogantly and he saw Lucas' face contort into anger.

"Shut the hell up," Lucas spat, glaring at him with cold eyes and Julian puts his hand up innocently, a small smirk playing across his lips.

"I think that all you people..." he pointed his finger at them, "...should leave."

There was a silence and everyone looked at Julian with dark eyes, trying to wipe the smirk of his face.

"Guys, can I have a minute with Julian, please?" Brooke asked them and they all went to protest but she cut them off, "Please," she pleaded and they all walked out of the room, Lucas hovering a bit.

"Brooke..." he said, protesting.

"Please Lucas...I'll be fine, I promise," she said, reassuringly.

He walked up to her and placed a small kiss on her lips then walked out of the room.

"What?" He asked, annoyed.

"Why do you have to be like that? Why do you have to act like that?" She asked, inquisitively.

"Act like what?" He asked back, nonchalantly.

"You know how," he looked at her with a blank face, "Like an ass, that's how."

"You don't know anything about me," he said, harshly.

"You're right, I don't," she paused, "And you're never gunna tell me are you?" She said the last part to herself.

"I have to act like an ass, Brooke...I need to," he said and she looked at him confused.

"Why?" She questioned.

"Because if I let you in, I'm scared I'll fall in love with you," he admitted, vulnerably, "I can't do that Brooke."

"I get it, I do," she paused, "You don't need to let me in, you could just stop acting like an ass," she said, exasperatedly.

"It's all the same to me."

There was a long silence before either of them even moved.

He didn't look at her, knowing that if he made eye contact with here, he would cave. All inhibitions would leave his head and he would take back what he said and be the guy she wants him to be. Making eye contact would be too risky and he can only take so many risks in life. She, on the other hand, was staring intently at his face, as if daring him to look at her but after about two minutes, she realised that it was useless and gave up.

"I should go," she said, softly and he nodded, not speaking at all, "Are you sure you're okay?" She asked as she got to the door.

"I'm fine," he said stiffly then he looked up and finally made eye contact with her, "I've been through worse."

"Just so you know, life is what you make it, Julian. All this anger..." she trailed off, "...it's not helping anyone, especially yourself," she paused, "Just let it go," she finished and left, not looking back.

_Just let it go? If only it were that easy..._

-x-

She walked out the room and leaned against the door, taking a deep breath as she did.

It was different, a weird different; definitely overwhelming weird different. There had been so many different guys in her life that sometimes, the memories all faded into one, a blur of random faces, seemingly meaning nothing but a night of pleasure to her. And then Lucas came along and showed her how to love, showed her that loving someone was better than a string of meaningless one night stands. Lucas was her boyfriend and she loved him but there was always that nagging in her head that said he was her first love and she would always love him but maybe that's all he was, her first love.

Julian seemed different. Like someone who had been put though so much, he was conditioned to act the way he did but it wasn't him at all.

She walked out of the hospital and got into the car where the others were waiting for her, all of them looking at her expectantly.

"What?" She asked, annoyed, when she realised the stares they were giving her.

"What did you say? What did he say?" Peyton asked, bombarding her with questions. "Did you guys have sex?"

"What?" She shrieked, "Peyton, you have gone insane, I would never cheat on Lucas," she said indignantly and laughed, "He just thanked me," she lied, hoping they wouldn't pick up on it.

"He just thanked you?" Hayley questioned, skeptically.

"Yeah," Brooke answered and nodded, "He just thanked me," she repeated, trying to convince them, and maybe herself.

"Whatever, enough about that jerk," Lucas grumbled, "What do you wanna do? I was thinking my Mom's cafe? Cheeseburgers?" He grinned.

"I could so each a batch of pancakes right now," Brooke said, excitedly.

"Karen's it is then," Nathan said and started the car.

They were on their way to Karen's and Brooke was looking at the window, a faraway expression on her face. Lucas noticed this and frowned slightly; he didn't want her to be considering being friends with Julian. He wasn't threatened, he just knew Julian was a bad guy.

"You okay babe?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah," Brooke answered, somewhat distantly.

"You sure?"

"Trust me, I'm fine," she smiled.

Her smile was fake. She thought of it as a formality to being the cliched popular, rich girl; captain of the cheerleaders, whose parents weren't around. It was a formality she hated but one she couldn't break.

"I love you," Lucas said, adoringly, his hand stroking hers.

"You too," she replied, not able to say the word 'love' out loud.

She needed to figure her feelings out.

-x-

Julian watched as she retreated out of the door, breathing a sigh of relied when he could no longer see her.

She was like that piece of fruit that Adam and Eve were instructed not to touch, enticing, rare and tantilizingly beautiful yet completely forbidden. She was like a rare flower you searched years for, only to fall upon disappointment because the search seemed useless as there were so few. Somehow though, that rare flower came to him and he just didn't believe that he was that lucky, so he dismissed it and let it go back to where it came from.

He was an idiot sometimes.

There was a knock at the door but it was more out of politeness as the person didn't wait for an invitation, they just walked straight in. A woman, tall and blonde, walked into the room.

She could have been beautiful, with her curly locks and defined cheek bones but it looked like she hadn't slept in weeks, leaving dark circles under her eyes and it seemed like she hadn't ate a proper meal in a lot longer than a few weeks.

His eyes moved from the stained part of the wall that he had been staring at and landed on the door. His eyes grew dark and his jaw clenched.

"Leave, now." He demanded, not letting them get a word in.

"I heard you were in hospital...I just wanted to see if you were okay," she said, ignoring his demand, "The doctor said it wasn't anything too severe."

He decided not to tell her to leave again, guessing that she would probably ignore him again, instead he voiced questions, some that had been buried in his mind for a very very long time.

"Who did you say you were?" He asked, his eyes curious yet sad at the same time.

"Your mother of course..." she answered in disbelief, "...since I am your _mother_."

Her face was soft and if the previous decade hadn''t happened and didn't haunt him every night, giving him reason to question everything in life, he would have been comforted. Only thing was, it had happened and it did haunt him every night, so he only felt strong anger and sadness.

She was supposed to have been there for the last ten years, helping him and comforting him but she hadn't been and she just can't decide that she's going to be a mother whenever she feels like it. It doesn't work like that. He wasn't going to let it work like that.

"You're not my mother...haven't been for a long time," he said, his voice holding no emotion and he had to hold back a saddened face when he saw hers fall.

"Julian..." she said softly and walked towards the bed, "I'm your Mom and I know that I haven't acted like it or showed it but I do love you, honey...I really do."

"Stop it," he hissed and his eyes darkened, "You know you almost had me, _almost _but I'm not an idiot okay? You think you can walk back into my life after ten years and expect me to have my arms open, ready to welcome you?" He laughed bitterly, "You're the idiot if you think that."

"I made a mistake..." her eyes shone with sadness and defeat, "...are you gunna condemn me forever?"

He closed his eyes when he heard the hearbreaking tone in her voice. She was right about one thing, she was his mother but that didn't change anything. She had left him to fend for himself when he was just a little boy and she didn't deserve any forgiveness.

"You can't change what you did..." he started and her eyes grew big, thinking he was forgiving her, "...but you've had the last ten years to put it right and you didn't. Not when I was eleven or twelve or even when I hit my teens. You weren't there when the kids at school bullied me because my parents cared more about booze or sex than they did about me. You weren't there when I decided that school wasn't for me and dropped out, were you? You just weren't there and now, you're never gunna be," he finished and her eyes wandered downwards.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her eyes cast firmly on his face.

"You've had ten years of time to apologise, ten years of me hoping you would come for me...I'm done hoping," he said, softly.

She nodded and turned around. She began to walk out of the room but hesitated slightly as she reached the door. Her hand hovered of the handle and she had to force herself to open the door, knowing that it was a mistake to go there; he was never going to forgive her.

"Wait..." he called and she turned back to look at him, a ounce of hope still inside of her.

"Yeah?" She said back, questioned his reasons for calling her back.

"I just wanna know...I wanna know why you left?" He asked and she looked at him shocked; she wasn't expecting that.

"I don't know...I was scared, young, foolish," she answered but he frowned at, not liking the answer she gave him, "I felt like I didn't deserve a child..." she admitted.

"You felt like you didn't deserve a child?" He questioned, perplexed.

"...at least not one as beautiful and perfect as you."

She walked up to the side of the bed, leaned over and placed a small kiss on his forehead. She began to walk to the door and turned back, again as she reached it.

"You shouldn't punish yourself for mine and your father's mistakes...you should let it all go."

"It's not that easy!" He said, frustratingly, his arms lifting and falling back to the bed in an annoyed gesture.

"Maybe not...but if you do..." his eyes lifted and met hers, "...you could be happy."

He frowned slightly when she said that, taking it in as the first piece of advice his mother had ever given him.

"Everyone deserves to be happy," she said, her eyes filled with tears but she didn't dare let them fall then she walked out of the door.

His eyes followed her body then closed when the door shut.

_"Everyone deserves to be happy."_

Did he deserve to be happy?

* * *

**A/N:** Second chapter, I really hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are appreciated, thanks :)

- undiscoveredwriter


	3. Somebody Fix Me

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**A/N: **The title is the name of a song by Grace Potter & The Nocturnals.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**_Somebody Fix Me_**

He paced his kitchen floor.

_"..life is what you make it.."_

He sighed and put his hands on the table, leaning against in slightly.

_"Just let it go."_

He stood up straight and rubbed the back of his neck.

_"...you could be happy."_

He took a deep breath.

_"Everyone deserves to be happy.__"_

He cursed and kicked the kitchen chair beside him.

Why were their words playing around in his head? Ever since Brooke and his Mom said those words to him in the hospital, he hadn't been able to get them out of his head. They were like little demons swimming around in the back of his mind, repeating the same words over and over again. It didn't help that the words were said by Brooke and his Mom.

All he could here was the rasp of Brooke's voice and the pain in his Mom's.

He wanted to believe in their words. He wanted to think that he deserved to be happy, that he could be happy but every time he started to think that their words held truth, somehow reality set him straight and he lost the little bit of hope he had.

It was frustrating, more so than ever. All his life people had told him that it was going to get better, that life had curve-balls but you got around them. They had told him that life was pretty harsh sometimes but it always got better and him, being the little, naive kid he was, he believe them, he ate up every word they fed him.

It had been about 5 days, 14 hours and roughly 16 minutes since his Mother had given him her pennies worth and he hated her for it. She wasn't allowed to barge into his hospital room and attempt to give him the benefit of her experiences. He just couldn't get it out of his mind. He wanted to; he needed to but every time he tried, the words just crept up on him, hitting him like a ton of bricks.

He had to do something to get his mind off them.

He picked up his cell phone and scrolled down the contacts. When he arrived at the one he was looking for, he pressed dial...

_"Hello."_

"Hey, it's Julian...you wanna go out tonight?" He asked and chewed on his lip slightly, waiting for their reply.

_"Yeah...I have a basketball game tonight though..." she sighed, "...you can pick me up if you want."_

"9.30?" He asked, smirking a little.

_"Perfect...Tree Hill High School,__" she smiled, "And Julian..."_

"Yeah?"

_"Don't be late."_

"Oh I won't," he promised and the line went dead.

He throw the phone onto the kitchen table and grinned. Tonight he was going to forget.

Or at least try to.

_"...you could be happy."_

_Damn it,_ he thought, _not a good start._

-x-

Friday Night meant one thing; basketball madness.

After much though, he decided that he would go to the game. He didn't see any harm in attending a public event that occurred every week. If anything it could be partial proof that he was trying to change, be a different person.

However, he was slightly foolish in that assumption.

He should have known that the residents of Tree Hill don't forget that easily and they held grudges, they held them for a _long_ long time.

Walking into the gym, all heads turned and looked at him, just like he had sort of suspected and his jaw clenched slightly. He looked over to where the cheerleaders were standing and smiled when he saw Brooke, looking beautiful as usual. It soon dropped though, when he realised that he wasn't there for Brooke but the rather slender looking red head next to her.

The red head looked up and saw him, smiling as she waved at him; a gesture he reluctantly returned.

Brooke sighed as she looked at the masses of people flowing in through the double doors. She became curious and slightly confused when she saw Julian walk through the door and even more confused when she saw Rachel wave at him, and _even_ _more _confused when she saw him wave back. She was tempted to walk over to him but then she saw Lucas come through the doors and she stopped herself; she felt like she had to stop herself.

She sidled over to Rachel and coughed slightly.

"So...Rachel...you ready for tonight?" She asked, cursing herself at the lame attempt to start a conversation.

"Yeah," she nodded and looked at Brooke confused, "Why?"

"Just being a good captain," Brooke grinned, "So I saw the little exchange between you and...oh, what's his name?"

"Julian?" Rachel offered and smirked.

"Julian, that's it," Brooke confirmed and looked over to where he was sat then back to Rachel, "So, what's going on there?"

"Oh you know, just having fun," Rachel smirked, "He wants nothing serious and he's a bad boy, you know? It's like living life on the edge."

"That's it? You're just having fun?" Brooke asked, shocked at how somehow could view a relationship so casually but then it dawned on her that _she_ had once viewed a relationship like that.

"Not everything in life has to be serious Brooke..." Rachel sighed, "We're seventeen, we're allowed to act our age."

"Just because we're seventeen doesn't mean we can't have something serious," Brooke defended with a frown.

"You're right, it doesn't but it also doesn't mean we're not allowed to have fun, make our own mistakes, live life to the fullest," Rachel laughed a little, "I heard you used to be like that, once upon a time."

"That was a long time ago..." Brooke frowned, "...I'm not that person anymore."

"A fun person?" Rachel pointed out.

"No...a slutty person," she muttered and looked down.

"Your words, not mine," Rachel said and Brooke looked back up, frowning.

"I'm not proud of who I was," Brooke admitted, "I've changed."

"Maybe you have..." Rachel debated and Brooke glared at her, "...but did you ever think that maybe you didn't change, per say, you just grew up?"

"No, I've changed," Brooke said defiantly, "Anyway...back to you and Julian..." she said, changing the subject, her eyes darkening slightly at the new conversation.

"Like I said we're having fun...and he's amazing in bed...so it's a win win for everyone."

"Well...as long as your having fun, that's the main thing," Brooke said, fake smiling.

She was about to walk away but Rachel's voice stopped her.

"Brooke..." she called out, "...green doesn't look good on you," she smirked.

"What are you talking about?" Brooke asked, confused.

"The little green eyed monster," Rachel explained but Brooke didn't catch on, "Jealousy, Brooke, I'm talking about jealousy," she clarified and Brooke's eyes widened.

"I'm not jealous," Brooke said with a clenched jaw and Rachel laughed.

"Whatever you say," Rachel said back and went to walk away but turned and looked back at Brooke, "You got one of the good guys..." she started and Brooke looked at her confused.

"So...?"

"So why are you so concerned about who gets one of the bad guys?" Rachel questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Brooke pondered the question for awhile, Rachel staring at her the whole time but when something finally came to her, she looked up and smiled.

"What makes you so sure he's a bad guy?" Brooke questioned back and Rachel looked surprised.

Brooke just walked away.

-x-

He had saw Brooke and Rachel having a conversation down on the gym floor and he was almost sure that it was about him.

He didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. On one hand, if Brooke was talking about him to Rachel then maybe she cared, more than she would like to let on, however, it could be pretty brutal if everyone found out that she was talking about him. To everyone he was like bad fruit or forbidden fruit; unattainable, dangerous...

He groaned in frustration and the lady below him turned to look at him. She gave him a cold look and turned back around.

He knew it was a bad idea, going to the gym, attending a public gathering. It seemed stupid of him as he thought about it, so he decided to leave. He would come back when the game was over to pick up Rachel. He just couldn't stand the look in every ones eye, the one that said he wasn't good enough to be there, he didn't deserve to be there.

He got down from the bleachers and walked out of the gym doors. He was about to walk to his bike when he heard a voice behind him.

"Leaving so soon?"

Shivers rushed up his spine.

"Nothing for me to stay here for...it was a mistake," he said as he turned around to look at her.

"That's not what Rachel said," she told him, a little smirking playing across her lips.

"Jealous?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow and he noticed her smirk soon dropped.

"Jealous?" She repeated incredulously, "Don't flatter yourself," she glared and turned her head away from him.

"It's okay to be jealous, you know?" He said and laughed when she turned her head further away from him. "Suit yourself," he muttered and went to walk away.

"Why would I be jealous?" She questioned, her perfectly plucked eyebrow raised.

"I don't know..." he shrugged "...you tell me."

"You're delusional..." she muttered and turned away from him again.

"Am I?" He challenged, staring her down, knowing that she wouldn't look away.

"Yes, you are," she said firmly, her jaw clenching slightly.

"Well if I'm so delusional to the idea that you have any inkling of feeling for me..." she raised her eyebrow "...why are you still standing here?" He asked.

Her mouth parted slightly and the surroundings grow silent, neither one of the uttering a single word. She was stumped that he dared question it but also a little proud. She didn't know that he had it in him to question something as big as her feelings for him when he had admitted that he was scared of falling for her, so he acted like a jerk.

"I don't know, I really don't," she answered and he smiled softly at her.

"I think I can tell you," he replied and she looked at him with right her eyebrow raised, "You want me..." he told her and her eyes widened. "But you know that you can't have me, that you're not allowed to have me."

"Julian..." she stated his name and walked right up to him, her face inches from his, "If I wanted you, you'd be mine already," she said confidently.

"Oh really?" He said and moved his face closer to hers. "Then why aren't I yours?"

"Did you not just hear what I said?" She laughed, "I _don't_ want you...I never have and I never will so just drop this little game your playing," she said harshly and his eyes darkened.

"It's one thing to lie to the world but it's another thing to lie to yourself..." he said and his eyes softened slightly, "...I would know," he paused, "It's not easy, is it?"

He knew what he had just said hit close to home with Brooke because her eyes sparkled with unushered tears and he saw her take a deep, shaky breath.

He didn't want to be harsh and he didn't know why he was saying the things he was because he could never see him and Brooke together but he just wanted her to admit there was something there, whether it be big or small, he just wanted her to say it out loud so he didn't have to keep thinking of her as a fading memory and as a fading feeling in his heart.

"I don't know who you think you are," she took a deep breath, "but you know nothing, _nothing_, about me!"

"Why are you acting like this? I'm only telling you the truth," he stated and he saw the spark of anger flare in her eyes, "...hurts, doesn't it?" He questioned.

She glared at him fiercely and went to walk away but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him. His face was merely millimetres away from hers and she took a deep breath in anticipation. He smiled softly when he saw her close her eyes and part her lips slightly.

He didn't need her to verbally confirm it because her actions had just given him what he wanted. He dropped his head slightly and put his lips to her ear. She could feel his breath tickling her skin and she was sure her heart had sped up. He waited a few seconds before placing a soft kiss on her cheek and then pulling away. As he did, he looked into her face until her eyes opened and they stared at each other.

"Deny it to me, deny it to everyone else...but don't deny it to yourself Brooke," he said and she smiled bitterly at him.

"Why?" She asked and he almost fainted from pleasure when she put her hand on her hip and glare at him with intense passion.

"Because I'm denying it to everyone else too," he paused and began to walk backwards, "only I've finally admitted it to myself."

"So that's it? You just come here and without trying, you're just gonna leave?" She questioned, confused and he shrugged his shoulders.

"I've come to terms with the fact that they're never gonna accept me...and I've accepted that," he smiled, "I only want acceptance from one, very beautiful girl."

"Really?" She said and he nodded, "Well then maybe you should be a little nicer, you know, I hear chivalry is making a comeback," she smiled.

"Maybe it is but I think she digs the whole 'bad boy' thing, she just doesn't wanna _accept_ it..." she laughed, "...you should talk to her though, she might value your opinion."

He began walking away, relishing in the laughter she was emitting. He jumped onto his bike and just when he was about to kick start the engine, he heard someone call his name.

"Hey Julian..." he turned around and saw Brooke standing by the curb, "I don't deny it...I just can't do anything about it," he smiled and nodded.

"Who can?" He stated and sped off on his bike.

She smiled and walked back into this gym.

She _knew_ he was one of the good guys.

-x-

When she walked back into the gym she had a small smile on her face and no one had noticed the change in her demeanor except one certain red head. She walked over to where the rest of the cheerleaders were standing and began stretching; the smile still content on her face.

Rachel looked at her curiously and tilted her head slightly, trying to decipher what had suddenly made Brooke a happy girl. She slowly strolled over to where Brooke was, a situation all too familiar, except the roles were reversed and she stopped a few steps away from her. She coughed slightly, in hopes of catching her attention but she didn't have much luck. When she was about to call out to Brooke, she saw Julian walk back through the doors and when she was about to wave him over, a sudden realisation dawned on her.

Brooke sighed when she saw Julian come back into the gym, although she was a little happy. She slyly glanced in his direction and their eyes briefly met. She saw him smile and was about to smile too but she turned to her left and there was Lucas, standing in front of her. She jumped slightly at his sudden appearance.

"God! Lucas!" She shrieked. "You scared me..." she continued with her hand on her chest.

"Sorry," he apologised and leaned in to kiss her.

"It's okay," she replied and smiled tightly.

"What was so interesting over there?" He asked and motioned to where she was looking when Julian walked through the doors.

"Oh...nothing," she laughed, "I just spaced out," she elaborated when his eyebrows creased.

She breathed a sigh of relief when he nodded and put his arms around her. She smiled up at him then put her head on his chest. Her head was in the direction where the crowd was sitting and she noticed Julian looking at them. She wanted to look away, she was willing herself to look away but it seemed that there was something stopping her and she had no idea what. She sighed against Lucas and despite her attempt at doing it subtly, he pulled back and looked at her confused.

"Something wrong?" He asked, his voice laced with concern.

"No, nothing wrong," she replied, shaking her head but he didn't look convinced.

"You sure? You seem a little..." he paused and she looked at him expectantly, "...weird."

"I'm just tired...had a late night last night," she sighed, "Who knew math homework would be keeping me up all night?" she laughed.

"Well I'm sure it won't be math keeping you up tonight," he said, his voice low and seductive.

"Oh really?" She questioned suggestively and leaned up in to him, "I'm sure that's gonna be real fun..." she whispered, her lips crashing onto his.

"It really will be," he mumbled against her lips, just before her tongue slipped into his mouth.

They stood in the gym, making out, not really caring who was looking at them. Except Brooke seemed slightly anxious about the tall, dark and very handsome bad boy sitting in the fourth row.

She loved Lucas, she did but she also remembered when she had fun, real fun and it seemed like a past life thinking about it. It wasn't even the sleeping around that she was thinking about, it was a time when she would just have fun, sometimes slightly careless but still, genuine fun.

"SCOTT!" Whitey shouted and Lucas pulled away from Brooke. "Unhand Miss Davis and get your ass over here!"

"I'll see you later," Lucas muttered and placed a small kiss on Brooke's nose before walking over to where the rest of the team were.

The game was at half time and the teams were going over their plays and tactics for the next half of the game. The cheerleaders were chatting amongst themselves when Lucas shot Brooke one of his million dollar smiles. She watched him from where she stood and when he looked away she couldn't stop herself from looking in Julian's direction. She sighed when she saw that he was still looking at her. She turned back to the squad and also noticed Rachel looking at her weirdly. She gave her an odd look but Rachel just smirked at her.

She walked past Brooke and to the stands, waving Julian down as she did. He looked at her oddly but walked down and met her on the gym floor anyway. She walked up to him in a seductive way and he knew she wasn't Brooke but she was still hot. He smirked when she wrapped her arms around his neck and he lent down to kiss her. Just before her lips met his, he glanced over to Brooke and noticed her glaring at them.

He smirked again and crashed his lips onto Rachel's.

They kissed passionately on the gym floor for about two minutes before an old woman on the front row made a very non-subtle disgruntled sound and they pulled apart, laughing slightly. She walked back to the cheerleaders and noticed they were all staring at her in disbelief; especially Brooke but it was more anger than disbelief.

She stood in her position and looked over to Brooke.

"I told you Brooke..." she started and Brooke looked at her confused, "...green doesn't look good on you."

"Yeah, well my fist won't look good on you but do you really wanna push me?" Brooke said, angrily.

"Aggressive too..." Rachel smirked, "...does Julian know what he's in for?"

"What did you say?" Brooke hissed and took a step towards Rachel.

"Oh..." she faked shock and put her hand on her mouth, "...did I say Julian? I mean Lucas...Lucas, right?" Rachel said, faking innocence and Brooke looked ready to unleash on her.

"I don't know what you think you know but you know _nothing_...got it?" She said, menacingly.

"Julian likes his women to have passion...I would know," Rachel replied and smirked.

"I don't even know Julian, so I don't really know where you're getting your theories from..." she said and moved in closer to Rachel, "...but they need to stop," she lowered her voice.

"So it wasn't you that was having a pretty heated conversation with him in the parking lot about 10 minute ago?" Rachel questioned and Brooke's eyes widened.

"He was just asking me for directions..." Brooke explained, her jaw clenching at the end of her sentence.

"To where? He came back into the gym...he obviously wasn't going anywhere else," Rachel smirked, "Deceitful as well? My my Lucas sure is in for a rough ride...pardon the pun," she smirked, "I wonder what he would say..." she said threateningly, tapping her chin in a fake-innocent way.

"He was asking me for directions but he must of changed his mind...knowing he was gonna get some cheap ass," she responded to Rachel's snipes and smirked when her face dropped.

"Look...I was being nice before, so don't push me," Rachel said fiercely and Brooke laughed coldly.

"You were being nice? You think something is going on between me and your latest bed buddy...trust me, I have more class and you're threatening to tell Lucas, only there's nothing to tell." Brooke explained then walked away.

"I didn't think denial was your thing," Rachel said then smirked, "Then again, I didn't think bad boys were your thing either...oh how wrong I can be," she continued sarcastically.

"When are you gonna get it Rachel? Not everyone wants what you've got, especially when it's a bit of trailer trash like Julian," Brooke ranted angrily but Rachel just smirked and looked behind her.

She hesitantly turned around and there he stood; tall, handsome and looking angry, very angry but she could also see a hint of sadness behind his eyes and that hit her harder than she thought it would. He was standing there, looking at her with eyes she had never seen before.

She saw his jaw clench, his muscular structure tensing and she had to avert her eyes.

"Rachel..." he started, his voice hard and cold, "...you dropped one of your pom poms when you came over," he explained and handed it to her, his eyes never touching Brooke.

"Thanks," she said and frowned slightly when she saw the effect it had on him.

She was about to say something else when Lucas walked over and nudged Julian as he went over to Brooke. She could see the anger build inside of him but for some reason, he was holding back, like if he unleashed it there would be dire consequences, ones that he didn't want to face.

"What are you doing here?" Lucas asked harshly, wrapping his arm around Brooke.

"I'm here to see Rachel, not that it's any of your business but what did you think? That I put myself through the hell of watching some lame ass high school basketball game for Brooke?" He laughed.

"You're an ass," Brooke hissed and glared at him but he could see that she was hurt and he was glad because he felt that was justice for her calling him trailer trash.

"Maybe but you were like putty in my hands outside before the game started," he revealed, a smirk on his face and Brooke's eyes widened with panic.

"What's he going on about?" Lucas asked confused and turned to look at her.

"I have no idea...I went outside for some air and he was there but I didn't even talk to him," she answered, convincingly, glaring at Julian.

"What do I have to gain by lying?" Julian asked, nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders as he did.

"Misery...the thing you love to cause," Brooke hissed, "Exhibit A, the past 4 years were you've caused non-stop havoc for this town," she continued, her tone still harsh.

"Well if that's what you think, then okay," he said to her and the fact that only she could hear the sombre tone in his words, caused her to soften slightly, "But I don't care what you think or what anyone thinks, I've never cared, so why would I start now?"

She thought that she seemed sad at the way she had treated him and she had felt guilty about that but the way he had just reacted made her more angry than anything. She thought that he was genuinely upset and she had sympathised with him but saying him change his emotions so quickly showed that maybe she had been wrong about him.

"Well no one cares that you're here," Lucas said and Julian's head snapped in his direction, "So why don't you leave?"

Julian smirked at him and Lucas thought he was actually going to walk out of the gym but he didn't. Instead, he walked over to Rachel and pulled her into a kiss. His tongue traced her bottom lip and she moaned, causing Brooke's face to contort into disgust.

He opened his eyes slightly and looked straight at her. He winked and she could tell that he would be smirking if his lips weren't already being used. They pulled apart and Julian looked over to Lucas.

"I think someone cares that I'm here..." he turned and looked at Rachel, "...right babe?"

"That's right," she said and smirked.

Julian wrapped his arm around Rachel's waist and they walked over to the bleachers. On the way there, Julian looked back and saw Brooke and Lucas in an embrace. He swallowed slightly and as if feeling his eyes on her, Brooke looked up and their eyes met.

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the irony that Brooke may be playing the "playground" tactic; pretending that she hated him because she doesn't want to admit that there might be something between them. He gave her one of his heart-melting grins and to his surprise, she smiled back.

Unfortunately for them, the exchange didn't go unnoticed by one person and the curly blonde stepped back into the line of cheerleaders.

Oh, how drama loves Tree Hill...

* * *

**A/N:** I am so sorry about the delay of my update, I've just been really busy with exams but I hope the wait is worth it :) I kinda get the feeling that some of this story resembles my other story Brave New world and there are elements that are the same but the stories are completely different. I really hope you enjoy this chapter.

- undiscoveredwriter


	4. You Give Me Something

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**A/N: **The title of this chapter is the name of a song by James Morrison.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**_You Give Me Something_**

The game was over a lot quicker than Julian expected.

He thought it would drag, much like everything in his life but, and much to his surprise, it hadn't. He didn't know if it was the brunette that he couldn't get out of his mind, glancing at him every now and then or the red-head that was mouthing sexual innuendos to him throughout the whole game.

It may have been both.

Another thing that he hadn't really expected either was the after party. He had thought that he was going to get Rachel and then they were going to have their own party but she insisted that she must make an appearance at the party, which was being held at Nathan's beach house, claiming she needed to keep her "rep" up. He knew all about reputation but he didn't think that he could sit through Brooke and Lucas being all over each other again.

The first time seemed hard enough.

However, despite his attempts at changing her mind, Rachel was adamant they go and so he decided to suck it up and join her.

He had never been to a high school party before, which wasn't a surprise considering that he had never attended high school before so when he walked into the beach house, he had a bit of a shock. He thought it was going to be lame and boring and they would leave within ten minutes of arriving but, and again, to his surprise, it wasn't like he thought it was going to be.

It seemed like he could have a bit of fun there, something that he had not anticipated when Rachel told him they were going to the basketball after party.

"So this is what your parties are like, huh?" He asked, nonchantly, secretly surprised.

"Yep...this is what our parties are like," Rachel answered, a small smirk playing across her lips. "You impressed?" She asked, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Very..." he muttered and leaned in to kiss her.

Before his lips met hers, he opened his eyes and noticed Brooke looking at them. He would have stopped what he was doing and walked over to her had Lucas not come up from behind her and handed her a drink. It dawned on him then that if he and Brooke were to ever persue anything, people would always be there to get involved and if it was one thing he hated, it was nosy people.

He sighed into Rachel's lips and she pulled back, looking at him confused.

"Something wrong?" She asked, her eyebrow raised.

"No, I've just had a weird day...I think I need a drink," he answered her, giving her the partial truth.

"Well you wait here and I'll go and get you one...beer, right?" She offered and he nodded his head.

He hadn't realised that when she offered to go and get him a beer that she would be leaving him and normally, this wouldn't bother him _at_ _all_ but when the majority of the people around you hate your guts, it becomes a slight problem. To avoid any confrontation, he sidled over to one of the walls and slightly cowered in the corner. It wasn't like he was scared, he just didn't want to have to deal with arguing and fighting at that point because he was pretty drained from it all recently.

However, he should have known that since nothing ever really went his way, the idea of hiding near a wall to avoid conflict wouldn't either. He was leaning against the wall and watching Brooke dance when he felt the presence of a few people around him so he looked to his left and there stood, what he can only describe as, the whole basketball team.

He looked at them blankly before turning away.

"That's not a nice way to greet the hosts of the party," one of them said and he turned to look at them again.

"Party sucks ass anyway," he lied, knowing that wouldn't bode well with them.

"Then why are you here?" Another asked and he found himself trying to remember if he even saw them at the game.

He was about to answer when a male voice interrupted him.

"I can tell you why..." the voice said from behind him and he turned to see who it was, "...he wants my girlfriend," the person continued.

"Lucas, Lucas, Lucas..." he started, mockingly, "...I get the you don't really know me but despite your lack of knowledge, the fact still remains; if I wanted your girlfriend, she's be mine already," he continued and before he had even got to the end of his sentence, he could see the anger flare within Lucas.

"This guy's a dick..." he heard someone mutter and he smirked.

"You're right, whoever said that, I am a dick," he paused and looked back at Lucas, "but I'm the dick that's gonna have Brooke on her back by th-"

Lucas' fist flew through the air and collided with Julian's face, causing his head to fling back and the sudden movement of his body made him fall over. He heard people laughing and he literally boiled over in anger. He charged at Lucas and took him down to the floor with a spear to the ribs. Lucas grunted in pain as Julian towered over him and started to punch him repeatedly in the face.

Punch after punch after punch, he just couldn't seem to stop. All the anger, all the aggression and hurt, that had been building up inside of him, was finally getting released and unfortunately for Lucas, he was the straw the broke that camels back and sent Julian over the edge.

As he was literally knocking the life out of Lucas, he felt a number of arms grab him and pull him back.

"Get the hell off me!" He screamed in anger but the arms just held onto him.

He saw Lucas stand up, blood covering his face, and walk up to him. He tried to release his arms from the hold they were in to defend himself but there was the whole basketball team, minus Lucas and Nathan, holding him back. As Lucas got right in front of him, he smirked a little smirk before swinging a vicious left hook that collided with Julian's jaw. He groaned in pain before spitting out the blood that had accumulated in his mouth from the hit.

He saw Lucas raise his fist again but this time, the blow was to his ribs and the blows just kept coming until Julian felt he couldn't breathe anymore. He could feel himself slipping but he knew that he had to act strong and not show Lucas that he was affecting him.

Lucas raised his hand again but this time, was stopped.

"Lucas!" Brooke shrieked and Lucas turned to look at her. "What the hell are you doing?"

"He started it, can you not see what he has done to my face?" He asked, his face so serious that she almost wanted to laugh.

"Do you realise how childish you sounded there? You can't do this, Lucas, you're about to kill him," she said, annoyed, her face all flushed with anger.

"I don't care, he has been needing this beating since he started being a jackass," he defended himself but that only fueled her anger.

"You are unbelievable..." she hissed and turned to where Julian was being held, "...let him go!" She demanded but they didn't move, instead they looked over to Lucas, who shook his head.

"No, Brooke...he deserves this," he said softly.

"Oh my god, I cannot believe I ended up with such a jerk boyfriend," she murmured but everyone still heard her.

"What's this really about, Brooke, huh?" He asked annoyed.

"What's this really about?" She repeated, "This is about you beating up some guy you don't even know...you're as bad as Nathan, if not worse," she hissed.

"Hey!" Nathan objected defiantly.

"I meant when you were an ass..." she explained and he nodded, slightly agreeing with her and then she turned to Lucas, "I can't even look at you right now."

"I'm sure you'd like to look at you're little helpless case, over there," Lucas growled and nodded his head in Julian's direction.

The basketball team had let him go and he was sitting on the floor, gasping for air, his face a bloody picture. Brooke glared at Lucas and walked over to Julian, held onto one of his arms and helped him get up. She then proceeded to walk with him to the door, his arm slung over her shoulder but just before she got there, she felt someone grasp her arm.

"Where the hell do you think you're going, with him?" Lucas spat.

"Well, we're gonna go to my house and have a hot, steamy tumble between the sheets," she said sarcastically, "Where do you think I'm taking him? To the hospital, you jackass."

She continued to walk out the door, Julian practically leaning on her, without looking back or answering any of the questioning stares. Haley walked up to Lucas and patted his shoulder reassuringly. He turned to her and she gave him a small smile.

"I can't believe she helped him," he stated, coldly.

"It's Brooke, of course she helped him, you wouldn't love her if she didn't," she said softly, her tone motherly and kind.

"But he...he...he's a dick!" He shouted after trying to find the right word to say.

"Maybe but if she wants to help him then she wants to help him, you just have to trust her judgment and be there for her when she finds that it was mistake," she explained and he nodded.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he smiled and gave her a hug.

"Aren't I always?" She teased and he laughed.

They walked back into the party and a herd of people walked up to Lucas, giving him apologies and saying how awesome he was for beating Julian and just as one said 'You're awesome for taking that Julian guy out', Rachel walked back into the room.

"What?" She shouted and everyone looked at her.

"What's wrong, Rach?" Bevin asked.

"Where the hell is Julian?" She screamed angrily.

No one had the guts to tell her.

-x-

Pain; that was the one thing apparent when he opened his eyes.

He awoke with a throbbing headache and he was in excruciating pain with his ribs. He attempted to sit up but the task proved much easier in theory as when he went to push his body up from the bed and into a sitting position, painful throbs shot up and down his body. His body flopped back down and he sighed deeply. He took the defeat graciously and relaxed into the bed; a bed he realised that wasn't his.

He looked around the room and realised that this was definitely _not_ his room.

Despite the pain his body was in, he shot up and out of the bed. He groaned at the pain his sudden movements caused but was glad that he had pushed himself enough to move. He walked over to the vanity and looked at the pictures that were on the mirror. As soon as he got to the mirror, it was clear whose bedroom, therefore whose house, he was in. His eyes scanned the numerous amounts of pictures and he smiled softly at one in particular that was of Brooke sleeping, mouth slightly open.

He continued to look through them, smiling occastionally at the ones of Brooke were she was alone or smiling brightly, dimples deep and in obvious display.

"Kinda nosy, aren't you?" A raspy voice said and he turned quickly to look at her, thinking she was mad but she had little smile on her face.

"I was just trying to figure out whose house I was in," he explained and leaned against the table, feeling slightly uneasy.

He didn't know if the uneasy feeling was from the beating he had took or from the feelings that were going wild within him and it didn't help that the girl that the feelings were for was standing in front of him, dressed in a pair of skimpy shorts and a tight spaghetti-strapped vest.

She saw he was struggling to stand and walked up to him but as she held out a hand to help him, he stepped back as if he had been burnt and she reeled back too, looking hurt.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, taking a more verbal way to help him.

"I'm okay," he stated then paused, "In a bit of pain but I'm used to that," he continued, his face scrunching up slightly when he shifted his weight.

"Good...that you're okay, that's good," she said, stuttering slightly and he smiled. "You should probably rest though," she stated and motioned for him to get back into bed.

"Actually, I was just gonna go home, you know? Rest in my own bed. Not that yours isn't comfy or anything because it is and not that I was thinking about how comfy your bed is because I wasn't. I just think that I would be more relaxed in my own bed," he rambled and she laughed at his nervousness.

"I would agree that you going home is probably for the best but it's 3am and I don't think you're in any position to drive," she explained and he looked shocked.

"3am? What time did we leave the party?" He asked and her face screwed up in thought.

"Urm, we left at about....eleven, eleven thirty, why?" She asked confused.

"It justs seems longer, I feel like I've been asleep for days on end," he told her and she nodded.

They didn't say anything else after that.

Both them just stood in her room, looking at anything other than each other, both knowing the potential damage that could be done if they looked at each other for too long. Both of them knew of the sexual tension that was present but both also knew that nothing could ever be done about it, could it? It was definitely a question in both of their minds and despite the fact that Brooke was the only one with another half, she was the one swaying more to doing something about the tension.

"Thank you, by the way," he said, breaking the very unbearable silence.

"For what?" She asked, confused and genuinely unaware of the reason he was thanking her.

"For saving me," he stated and she still looked confused, "Seeing as your boyfriend and his group of followers nearly killed me," he added and he saw the look of realisation cross her face.

"You're welcome," she said, softly and smiled.

He smiled back and looked over to the bed and then began to walk over to it. She saw his apparent struggle so she went and helped him and this time he didn't flinch or move away, he just smiled down at reached the bed and just before he was about to sit down on it, Brooke's foot got caught in the sheet that was dangling off the end of the bed and she fell onto the bed, pulling Julian down on top of her.

Luckily for her, as they went down, he put his hands on either side of her so that he didn't put all of his weight on her.

They both started laughing at Brooke's clumsiness and then they looked up into each others eyes, making them realise just how close they were and the laughter slowly died down. Julian's eyes flickered from her eyes to her lips and then back up to her eyes. He slowly leaned in as she closed her eyes and parted her lips, awaiting his arrival. She could feel his warm breath on her cheek and she was sure her knees had went weak due to anticipation. Closer and closer he got to her and in one quick movement their lips met in a searing kiss.

It was soft and tender, their lips fitting together perfectly but it only lasted a few seconds because Brooke pulled back.

"What's wrong?" He asked, frowing slightly, his body still on top of hers.

"What's wrong?" She repeated incredulously, pushing him off her and standing up, "I have a boyfriend and I'm kissing you," she shrieked and he rolled his eyes.

"Your boyfriend's a dick!" He said and walked up to her, his face inches from hers, "And you wanted that kiss just as much as I did," he continued, his voice softened.

"Maybe he is a dick but he's still my boyfriend and I don't cheat...I can't cheat," she said remorsefully, whispering the last part.

"Well, I had to break it to you sweetheart but you just did," he smirked, "and with me, too. Lucas will be thrilled."

"You see, that's what I don't get, you're all sweet and kind and then you turn into this ass once someone tries to share their feelings," she stated and his jaw clenched.

"You brought me here, Brooke, okay? So don't try and put all the blame on me," he said, coldly.

"I'm not trying to put all the blame on you but you did kiss me an-"

"Why did you even bring me here?" He shouted, interrupting her and she looked shocked at his little outburst, so shocked, that it took her a few seconds to recoil.

"Because...because you were hurt and I wanted to help you," she answered but she knew he didn't believe her.

"Bullshit!" He shouted and her eyes widened, "If that was the reason you would have took me to the hospital or home but not here, not to _your _house, so why, Brooke? Tell me _why_!"

"I don't know! Okay? I don't know," she answered truthfully, "I wish I did, damn it, I wish I did know but I don't so just...leave it," she sighed.

She walked over to her bed and sat on it, putting her head in her hands.

He didn't want her to be sad, he just wanted to know the reason as to why she brought him here because he knew it had more to do with than what she was telling him. He _knew_ there was more but if pushing it was making her sad then he would wait until she told him on her own accord and if he knew her like he thought he did then she would eventually tell him.

He walked over to her and kneeled down in front of her, groaning slightly due to his injuries. He placed his hands on her lap and she removed her hands from her face and looked at him. He didn't say anything, he just looked into her eyes and she looked at him confused. He smiled at her facial expression and despite the messed up situation they were in, she smiled back.

"I love your smile," he complimented and she blushed, looking down but he put two fingers under her chin and lifted her head back up, "and I love you eyes," she blushed again.

"Where is all this coming from?" She asked, grateful for the compliments but confused as to why he was giving them.

"My heart," he answered and grinned.

She pushed him slightly and smiled at his cheesiness. She then stood up, turned around and crawled into bed. He stood up, too but didn't know what to do and she laughed at the lost expression on his face. He looked at her confused and she patted the space beside her, inviting him to sit next to her. He crawled up beside her and winced at the pain in his ribs, causing her to frown so he gave her a reassuring smile. They laid next to each other completely content and he was knocked for six, completely taken by surprise, when she grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers.

After getting over his shock, he turned on his side and propped his head with his elbow.

He looked like he was thinking about something and when she looked over at him, he frowned and looked away. Her face contorted into a confused expression and when he looked back at her and noticed this, he just wanted to pick her up and take her to place away from all the hurt and confusion.

"What's wrong?" She asked and he thought about not too long ago, when he had asked her that exact same question.

"I don't know you," he whispered and looked down.

"What do you mean 'you don't know me'?" She questioned, still very confused.

"I mean _I don't know you_, I don't your favourite colour or food or what you like to do, who you are, who you wanna be..." he sighed, "...I don't know any of it."

He looked down and she looked at the broken expression on his face and for some reason, that was completely unknown to her, she wanted to take him away from the pain he was in. The irony was that both of them wanted to save each other, protect each other but neither of them knew of the others wishes.

She frowned slightly before looking down herself then looking back up at him; a flicker of hope visible in her eyes. She then sat up with her legs in an indian-style sitting position and faced him.

"My favourite colour's red because I look _hot _in it," she started and he brought his head back up to look at her, "My favourite food is chocolate chip pancakes, regardless of any situation, it's always pancakes...I like cheerleading, or course and hanging out with my friends; partying as you know and shopping, which makes me seem a little shallow but my friends know who I am and that's what counts to me," she continued.

"Brooke I-"

"I suppose I'm the type of person who hides my heart, you know? Behind this big, brick wall," she laughed bitterly, "I don't do it to spite people though, I just do it to protect myself," she admitted and he could see her eyes filling with tears, "I've been hurt before and it nearly killed me. I don't wanna go through that again....Oh! And I love designing clothes and then making them," she grinned.

"Really? Designing clothes?" He questioned surprised and she frowned.

"What? You don't think I could do it," she said coldly.

"Actually, and don't take this as an insult because it's the farthest thing from it but I couldn't see you doing anything else," he smiled and she returned the gesture.

"Your turn!" She said, enthusiastically, "This is a really good game," she told him and he chuckled nervously.

"Urm I guess my favourite colour is blue, original for a guy, I know but..." he paused and bit his lip, debating whether to tell her or not, "...I can remember when I was about two and a half, my dad called me from my room and sat me on his lap and gave me this blue ball," he smiled nostalgically, "It wasn't anything special but it was the only thing he ever gave me and I guess I held onto that; the memory, that feeling, the one good thing I got from him," he told her and she smiled.

"That's nice," she said softly.

"Favourite food? That's a lot harder because I love all food but if I had to pick one that I couldn't live without it would have to be..." he paused to think it over, "...mac 'n' cheese, all the way dude, definitely," he laughed slightly, "I can't believe I forgot about mac 'n' cheese," he muttered to himself.

"My friend Haley calls it the food of the gods," Brooke commented.

"I agree," he chuckled and paused to think of the next question, "I like driving around on my motorcycle, people think I do it to annoy them but I don't, it's a release, it's really invigorating and I like the feeling of being free, not having to live up to anything or anyone," he paused again, "Also, and people don't know this, but I really like math...I'm quite good at it too," he admitted and she looked at him shocked.

"You? Math?" She laughed and he nodded.

"Yeah, as far fetched as it seems, I like math but no one knows it because it's not like I advertise it or anything," he sighed, "I don't like it when people say I'm good for nothing, in fact I hate it. That feeling just takes me back to my childhood and the feeling of your parents abandoning you, it never goes way," his jaw clenched and she was sure she saw a tear in his eye.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"What are you sorry for? It's not your fault," he reassured her and she just shrugged her shoulders.

"No one should have that feeling and have it never go away and I'm sorry for that," she told him and he smiled at her.

Neither of them spoke after that and like some sort of chemical reaction, like a pull that could not be prevented, she leaned forward and he moved in to meet her and their lips came together, for the second time that night but this time, neither of them pulled away.

Their lips moved together in sync, the perfect fit for each other and when Julian traced her bottom lip with his tongue, she moaned and felt something stir within her. He pushed her back gently, so she was lying down on the bed and moved so that he was above her but he held his weight with his left hand, making sure he didn't crush her. His lips moved to her neck and he gently sucked and nipped at her flesh, causing her to let out her pleasure with moans and sighs.

He brought his lips back to hers and just as he was about to dive his tongue into her mouth, she pulled back slightly and looked into his eyes. She stroked just under his eye where the bruising was clearly evident and she leaned in, kissing the injury.

"He was wrong," she whispered and he looked at her confused, "You didn't deserve this."

She knew this was wrong. She knew this was going against everything she once thought but there was something about him that pulled her in and no matter how hard she tried, sometimes she just couldn't push back and when he sat up and pulled his top over his head, every single inhibition left her head and she succumbed to the desire that was taking over her.

She hated what she was doing.

She just loved the feelings she was getting from it.

_Boy, was she in trouble._

* * *

**A/N:** I updated a lot quicker than my previous one. For some reason I felt a wave of inspiration and here is chapter four. I hope you like it folks.

- undiscoveredwriter


	5. Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**A/N: **The title of this chapter is the name of a song by Jack Johnson.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**_Sitting, Waiting, Wishing_**

They were delving into dangerous ground.

Getting further and further into it with every passing minute.

His lips attacked her naked flesh with raw passion, every kiss making her weak and she had to fight to suppress a moan.

He made it a point to kiss every exposed part of her body and when those parts ran out, he would start to discard the beautiful brunette of her clothes. He ventured down south and placed numerous wet kisses on her smooth, olive-skinned legs before kissing his way back up to her lips.

He couldn't believe that she was here, with him and, despite the fact he knew his friends would mock him, he cherished every moment, every kiss and every moan that left her plump lips, which were slightly swollen due to the feverish kisses.

Her eyes were closed and her mouth was ajar, her chest rising and falling faster than usual and she was emitting small pant-like breaths. They were both in their undergarments and just when he was about to relieve her of her panties, he paused and removed his hands.

She opened her eyes and looked down at him, confused to why he had stopped. She propped herself up using her elbows and gave him a confused look.

"What is it?" She asked, concerned and confused.

"Who do you wanna be?" He asked, a small frown on his face.

"What?" She laughed, "What are you going on about Julian?" She question, completely taken back by his sudden admission of a conversation in the middle of foreplay.

"The questions we asked each other before...we never answered the 'who do you wanna be?'" He explained but her confusion never wavered.

"So..." she trailed off and then sighed, "Where is this coming from?" She asked him, growing increasingly annoyed.

He looked into her eyes and knew that, deep down, past the lust and desire that was burning within her, was a girl who didn't want this. Maybe she wanted him but she didn't want it like this and he didn't either. He knew what he felt for Brooke was real and that they could really be something but he didn't want it under these circumstances and he knew that she didn't either. He had heard the rumours around town that had arisen last year, saying that Brooke was cheated on by her first serious boyfriend and her best friend was the other girl so he knew for a certain fact that she didn't want to become what she had deemed to be done wrong by last year.

"I don't wanna be the bad guy everyone tells me I am...I wanna prove them wrong," he sighed.

"You're not a bad guy Julian," she said softly and stroked his cheek but something flared within him and he got off the bed, his muscles flexed and jaw clenched.

"I'm in bed with another guys girlfriend!" He shouted and she flinched, "That's as bad as it gets Brooke."

"I thought you hated Lucas, that's all you ever say to me," she whispered and he softened at her pained voice.

"Yeah, I do hate him..." he said and she frowned, "...but you don't, do you?" He questioned and he saw her eyes drop.

"That's uh...that's got nothing to do with th-"

"It has _everything_ to do with this," he spat, "You love him Brooke, you're in love with him and I know, deep down, you don't wanna do this," he motioned to the bed, "You don't wanna cheat on him," he finished.

She didn't know what to say. For the first time since she could remember, she had nothing to say. Of course she didn't want to cheat on Lucas, it was the last thing she wanted to do but what she did want was Julian.

It was pointless to deny it and somewhere inside of her, she knew that she was falling in love. Again.

He was right though, she did love Lucas but she wasn't sure if she was in love with anymore. She was once in love with him but then he had done the thing that had almost broken her beyond repair, he had cheated on her with her best friend. She had forgiven him, reluctantly but she wasn't sure that she would ever trust him again and what was love without trust? Nothing. At the beginning of their second relationship it was hard to kiss him without seeing him in that hotel room with Peyton and she had yet to sleep with him again because she didn't know if she could handle it if all she could see in the back of her mind was him with Peyton.

The thing that was so wrong was that, because she wasn't sure she loved him like she did before, she knew that it was just jealousy that prevented her from giving her whole self to Lucas.

"You're right," she whispered and he looked shocked.

"I am?" He asked, the shock that could be seen on his face was evident in his voice.

"Yeah, your are," she told him and smiled, "I don't wanna cheat, I'm not that person," she said and he heard the questioning in her voice.

"You're not that person, Brooke...I know you're not that person," he smiled.

"Thank you," she said and he looked confused.

"What are you thanking me for?" He asked and she stepped closer to him.

She was still only in her bra and panties and he was stood there in his boxer shorts so the temptation to pick her up and take her to bed was growing more and more with every step she took towards him and he had to fight with himself to slow his heart rate down.

"For stopping that," she pointed to the bed and took her final step towards him, meaning she was stood right next to him, their bodies touching, "I guess I let my heart rule over my head and let my feelings get the best of me," she admitted and he gulped.

"And what feelings would those be?" He asked then let out a shaky breath.

Opening her mouth answer him, she realised something and she paused, biting her lip.

She looked like she was in deep thought and he frowned slightly when he saw the pained expression cover he face. He reached out and touched her hand but she flinched and stepped back. His face turned into a picture of hurt and disappointment and she felt racked with guilt but she knew that she had to stop this before it got any further. She knew that if she told him her feelings they would be doing what they were going to be doing had he not put a stop to it.

She knew she would have to hurt him.

"Lust mainly," she revealed, "I mean it's obvious that there's a sexual tension between us but I realised that it's not worth losing Lucas over, so that's why I thanked you," she smiled sweetly and she saw his jaw clench, his hands tighten and the anger flare within his eyes.

"You're wrong," he choked and shook his head, "It's more than that."

"I mean you're a good kisser and everything but..." she trailed off slightly then looked him dead in the eye, "...you just don't do it for me like Lucas does..." she smirked, hiding her feelings.

Her heart was hurting and the pain she saw in his eyes made her want to take him in her arms and hold him and kiss him and show him that everything she had just said was all lies but she knew that it was wrong.

They were wrong.

From completely different worlds and to bring those worlds together could be disastrous.

"...when he touches me, everything disappears...when he kisses me, I go weak with pleasure and when he makes love to me," she moaned and closed her eyes as if she was thinking about it but really she was thinking about him and the way he touched and kissed her.

She thought he was going to retaliate, say something that would hurt her, insult her until she was red with anger but there was nothing. No comments, no anger, nothing; and that worried her slightly. She just wanted to make sure that they would stay away from each other so that neither would get hurt, she didn't want to hurt him though.

He walked over to where his clothes were on the floor and began to get dressed. She made no effort to move, instead, she just watched him. She could tell that he was upset by the tension she could see in his muscles. Once he was dressed, he walked over to her vanity and took another look at her pictures before turning around and looking at her.

"You were happy in these," he said and motioned to the pictures, "I just wanted to make you happy again," he continued.

She almost broke down in tears right there and then but she had to be strong; act cold and heartless, even if he was making it incredibly difficult by being the sweet and loving guy she knew he was. He walked up to her and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"I am happy," she said plainly.

"Like I said to you before, lie to me, lie to everyone else but don't lie to yourself Brooke..." he repeated his words from earlier and lowered his lips to her ear, "I'm gonna sit and I'm gonna wait for the girl that wants to be happy...I'm gonna wish with my whole heart that she will see that she deserves to be the happiest girl in the world."

And then he left, leaving her with his words of love and devotion, and her thoughts of him and Lucas and everyone else that could be affected by her upcoming decisions.

_"...she deserves to be the happiest girl in the world."_

Why the hell did he have to be this amazing guy when she was trying to push him away?

_Trying_ to push him away but failing miserably.

-x-

_Three days later._

Three days; that's how long it had since they had last seen each other and Brooke was twisting with anxiety, knowing she had to make a decision that would change the future for everyone. Her heart and her mind were fighting the same battle and, unfortunately, they were fighting each other. She felt compelled to go with both decisions which made making an actual decision very difficult. She knew that whatever decision she made wouldn't only affect her and that made everything just a bit more complicated.

It didn't help her decision when she had completely closed everyone off for the past three days. She hadn't seen or spoken to anyone, not answering any ones calls or texts; she had completely isolated herself for 72 hours.

As she drove into Tree Hill High parking lot, she felt the feelings of anxiety grow intensely, much to her disappointment. She thought that over the past few days, her head was just playing tricks with her and she was exaggerating to herself how bad this was going to be but as she killed the engine and looked into the school seeing everyone and by everyone, she saw Lucas, Haley, Nathan, Peyton, Skillz, Jake, Bevin, Rachel, Mouth, Tim, the basketball team and the cheerleading team sitting crowded around one table, she felt like she was going to faint.

What also didn't help her nerves was what she saw as she climbed out of her and that was Julian, leaning against his car with a cigarette in his mouth. Despite the situation she was in she couldn't help but notice how incredibly hot he looked in his Levi's and converse and that blue shirt that hugged his muscles lusciously.

Taking a deep breath, she made her way over.

"Hey," he said softly as she got next to him and he put out his cigarette.

"Julian," she greeted him kindly but he could feel that she was being distant, "What are you doing here?" She asked, her voice still kind but had an anxious tone to it.

"You weren't answering my calls or my texts and I know it's only been three days but Brooke..." he stepped closer to her and lowered his voice, "...this is killing me," he admitted.

"You shouldn't be here...I said all I needed to say last night," she said harshly but he could hear the sad undertone in her voice and he nodded his head, understanding that he may have been rash about coming to see her at school.

"Yeah, you're right," he said quietly, "I'm sorry," he apologised.

"I just need some space, okay? Some space to think things over," she said tiredly and went to walk away but he caught her arm and pulled her back to him, making them extremely close to each other.

She inhaled sharply and looked up at him.

His soulful eyes staring down at her and she wondered how anyone could think he was a bad guy because all they had to do was look into his eyes and they would find the real truth; that he wasn't a bad or dangerous guy at all, he was just misunderstood.

"I don't know if I can do that Brooke," he told her, looking hurt when she stepped back.

"I'll call you okay?" She said and he nodded, giving her a small smile.

She smiled weakly at him and, subconsciously, her head moved towards the table that her friends were sitting on and she didn't know if she should be surprised or not that they were all looking in her and Julian's direction. They were practically gawking and she thought that Tim [or even Lucas] was about to pull out some binoculars.

She sighed heavily and it caught Julian's attention, making him look up at her. He realised she was looking at something so he followed her line of vision and saw all of her friends looking at them.

He rubbed his face, annoyed at the situation he was in and Brooke looked back at him. She smiled weakly again before he got into his car and started the engine.

"Bye..." he whispered and he wasn't even sure that she had heard him but she did.

She watched him drive away until she could no longer see his car. She kept her eyes on the spot where is car had disappeared and took a deep, well needed breath. She was hesitant in turning back around because she knew that everyones eyes would still be on her and when she did turn around, she wasn't surprised at all to see all of them had frowns or scowls on their faces.

Sighing, she made her way over to where they were sitting, her mind going blank for excuse stories.

At first she thought it was a sign, telling her that she needed to tell the truth but after thinking over telling them about her and Julian, she realised that it was definitely better to keep it between the two of them.

As she arrived at the table, nobody spoke so she didn't either and she took a seat in the gap between Haley and Peyton. She was looking down at the table and when she looked up, she caught Lucas' eye and he didn't look happy. She attempted to give him a reassuring smile but she didn't think that it looked like she had hoped.

"So...Brooke," Rachel started, breaking the silence and standing up, "What's Julian doing coming to see _you_?" She asked, her voice laced with venom.

"He was just thanking me for the other night," she explained and every ones eyebrows raised making her realise how that might have sounded, "Thanking me for helping him after he was attacked," she retracted, giving a more clear explanation and looked pointedly at Lucas, who looked down, ashamed.

"Seems like he was doing a little more than that to me," Rachel commented, "Seemed like it to everyone really," she continued.

"I know you have these little, twisted thoughts in your head about me and Julian and I hate to burst your little bubble but there's nothing going on...how many times do I have to tell you?" She shouted and stood up so she was at eye level with Rachel.

"How about until you actually believe it? And you said that there _isn't_ anything but maybe there _will_ be," Rachel said and smirked.

"This theory you have is getting boring so why don't you leave because no one wants you here," she spat, which made Rachel look around the table and when she made eye contact with people they looked away so she glared at Brooke and started to walk away.

"Whatever," Rachel muttered.

"Oh and Rachel..." Brooke called out and Rachel stopped but didn't look back, "...green doesn't look good on you," she said and smirked, making Rachel storm off in a huff.

Everyone looked confused - Rachel wasn't wearing green.

-x-

It was the part of the day that she was dreading most, the part in which she knew that all the things that she had been avoiding for the past three days would come back at her twice as hard and more painful than ever but she knew that confrontation with Lucas was inevitable.

While they were sitting at the table, Lucas had come up behind her and pulled her away from the group, telling her to meet him in Mr. Cooper's empty science lab at lunch. She didn't even have a chance to come up with an excuse not to be there because he was already walking away so she had turned back to the group, fake smiled to everyone and excused herself.

She had went to her morning lessons, her mind a million miles away from the class and her eyes glued to the clock, watching the hands tick away.

_11.00am_

Her eyes stayed firmly on the large hand, watching it's movements and never blinking.

_11.30am_

She took a deep breath and repeatedly tapped her pen, feeling the anxiety growing.

_12.00pm_

She bit her lip, almost going through the skin as the time to meet him grew closer.

_12.01pm...12.02pm...12.03pm...12.04pm_

She squeezed her eyes shut as she her the echoing of the ticking in her head.

_12.05pm..._

The bell rang.

She walked in the science lab and took a seat on one of the stools, waiting patiently for Lucas to walk through the door. She was usually lacking the patience trait but under the circumstances that she is in, she would have gladly waited another three days before talking to Lucas. S

he had in her mind that the moment she saw him, he would instantly know that she cheated on him.

She clenched her jaw slightly when she let her head process the fact that she had cheated on him. She had done what had been done to her a year ago and she had never felt more broken, more confused and more guilty in her life.

The guilt was the worst.

She was reminded of what she had done nearly every minute of the day and it gnawed at her, slowly breaking her down but despite the overwhelming guilt, she coudn't bring herself to regret what had happened because then she would be regretting Julian and meeting him and kissing him and she just couldn't bring herself to do that.

She looked up at the clock to see what time it was and sighed when she saw that only two minutes had went by. She looked over at the door and deciding that Lucas might have went to the quad and sat with the team, she made her way to the door and opened it, revealing a very surprised looking Lucas.

"Hey," he said softly, giving her a small smile and walked into the room, "Were you going somewhere?" He questioned, noticing that she opened the door before he got a chance to.

"No..." she answered then paused sligthly before continuing, "...I was going to see if you were in the quad but you're not because you're here," she explained, faking her enthusiasm but he could see through her façade.

"You don't seem too excited about that," he stated and she sighed before sitting down on one of the stools, her shoulders slouched.

"_You_ said you wanted to meet Lucas, okay? Not me...so what do you wanna talk about?" She asked briskly and he looked at her in disbelief, slightly hurt at her mini outburst.

"Wanted to meet? Brooke you're my girlfriend..." he started, his voice shaking with uncertainty, "...am I not allowed to spend time with my girlfriend?"

"Of course we can spend time together Lucas, there's no need to get melodramatic but why do we need to do it in an empty science lab?" She exclaimed then realisation set in and she laughed, which made Lucas start to chuckle along with her.

Once the laughter slowly died down, Lucas made his way over to her and she stood up to meet him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He leaned in slowly and placed a simple, loving peck on her lips before pulling back and leaning his forehead against hers.

"I'm sorry," he said and she pulled back but only slighty.

"You're sorry? What for?" She questioned, surprised at his apology and feeling that little bit more guilty because she knew that she was the one that should be saying sorry.

"For the other night...when I beat on Julian," he told her and she had to fight to stop herself from crying, "I was a coward and I'm sorry," he continued and kissed her forehead but she pulled away from him completely, stepping back and he frowned.

"Lucas..." she started but stopped, not knowing if she could tell him the truth.

"What it is? What's wrong? Are you okay? You're not sick are you? Oh my god, you're pregnant, aren't you?" He asked, bombarding her with questions.

"No Lucas, I'm not pregnant or sick...I'm perfectly fine," she told, lying slightly when she told him she was fine.

"Then what is it? Is it Julian?" He asked and her eyes went wide with panic.

"What?" She choked, thinking that he knew something about her betrayal.

"Has he hurt you? Did he say something?" He asked her more questions and she sighed a subtle sigh of relief.

"No it has nothing to do with Julian or anybody but me," she revealed, her eyes filling up with tears and she bit her lip.

"Brooke..." he said with concern and rubbed her arm, "...what is it?"

"I can't do this," she whispered, shaking her head.

"Do this? Do what? Talk to me? Kiss me?" He asked, panic laced his voice, "...be with me?" He choked, continuing his semi-rant.

"I'm sorry Lucas but it's over," she stated and then she left, leaving a heartbroken and confused Lucas in her wake.

Her guilt expanded when she never shed a tear.

Not even the hint of one in her eye.

-x-

She walked up to the front door, anxious, nervous...petrified.

She knew that certain things had to be done in order for her to become the person she was once, the person she feels she has lost touch with completely and she knew that there was only one way for her to accomplish this.

Half of it had already been taken care of.

She took the final few steps and formed her hand into a fist, knocking lightly against the sturdy, wooden framed door and waited. She could hear shuffling from the other side of the door and she chuckled slightly when she heard him hiss, _"Damn door stop"_, guessing that he stubbed his toe or something. She held her breath when she realised he was directly on the other side of the door.

The door swung open and there he stood, wearing only a pair of boxer shorts, shocked.

"Brooke," he said, the surprise evident in his voice and a small smile began to creep upon his face.

"Can I come in?" She asked hesitantly, only to be greeted by him holding the door open for her.

"Of course," he grinned, following her in and she couldn't help but smile back at him.

That grin would be the death of her.

* * *

**A/N: **Cliffhangerrrr (sort of) :P... I know, I know, not many people like the whole "cliffhanger" thing but hopefully it will be worth it. The next chapter will be up soon. Enjoy this one.

- undiscoveredwriter


	6. Bullet and a Target

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**A/N: **The title of this chapter is the name of a song by Citizen Cope.

* * *

**Chapter Six**

**_Bullet and a Target_**

_She walked up to the front door, anxious, nervous...petrified._

_She knew that certain things had to be done in order for her to become the person she was once, the person she feels she has lost touch with completely and she knew that there was only one way for her to accomplish this._

_Half of it had already been taken care of._

_She took the final few steps and formed her hand into a fist, knocking lightly against the sturdy, wooden framed door and waited. She could hear shuffling from the other side of the door and she chuckled slightly when she heard him hiss, "Damn door stop", guessing that he stubbed his toe or something. She held her breath when she realised he was directly on the other side of the door._

_The door swung open and there he stood, wearing only a pair of boxer shorts, shocked._

_"Brooke," he said, the surprise evident in his voice and a small smile began to creep upon his face._

_"Can I come in?" She asked hesitantly, only to be greeted by him holding the door open for her._

_"Of course," he grinned, following her in and she couldn't help but smile back at him._

_That grin would be the death of her._

She sat on his couch while he went and got her a drink but she knew that he was quickly running around the house, trying to clean it up the best that he could. She thought that it was quite cute and a small smile crept across her face. She could hear him shuffling about in what she could only think was his bedroom and feeling the impatience get to her, she went in pursuit of the tall, dark and handsome guy.

She walked down the corridor of his small yet surprisingly comfortable home. She crept slightly, trying to make sure that he didn't hear her and when she got to his bedroom door, she saw him attempting to make his bed and she giggled, causing him to look up at her.

"You think this is funny?" He asked in mock disbelief and she laughed harder causing him to chuckle along with her.

"Very f-funny," she answered, the laughter causing her to hiccup slightly.

He glared at her playfully and stalked over to her. She looked at him suspiciously and was completely taken by surprise when he grabbed her and began to tickle her. Against her wishes, she began to giggle uncontrollably and tried to break herself from his grasp but due to her laughing so much, it proved a bit more difficult than she had expected.

With him tickling her and her attempting to break free, they unwillingly moved closer to the bed and as she pushed him back again, he fell onto the bed and pulled Brooke down with him. They were laughing extremely loud and then, they realised the compromising position they were in, taking them back to a few days ago when they were in the exact same position; in close proximity, hearts beating quickly and desire building within them.

She looked down at him as he looked up at her and the laughter became a distant memory as they stared into each others eyes. A piece of hair had fell across her face and he lifted his hand up to brush it behind her ear. Once he had moved the hair from her face, his hand stayed on her cheek and she moved into it.

"You would think we would get used to the position," he whispered and she smiled a smile that made his heart soar.

"Yeah," she whispered back, the faint sound holding a hint of agreement.

He didn't want to move, he didn't want to feel the warmth of her body disappear but the need to know why she had come to see him was slowly ebbing away at him and against the better judgment within him, he sat up, causing her to stand up at the end of the bed.

He walked over to his drawers and pulled out a wifebeater then he walked to his wardrobe and pulled out a pair of jeans and a blue shirt. He put on his newly attained attire and walked out of the room without a second glance at Brooke, knowing that just one look at her would be torture.

He was so close to heaven but he needed answers and reasons so he had to restrain himself.

He knew that she would follow him. If Brooke Davis was anything then she was curious and the thought of not knowing why he had walked out, just like the thought of him not knowing why she was here, was almost unbearable so she walked after him and followed him into the kitchen.

His hands were resting on the work top and she could see the tension in his back. She wanted to walk over to him but something stopped her and she didn't want him anymore _angry_ than he already was so she cleared her throat and he turned to look at her.

"Are you angry with me or something?" She asked, vulnerably.

"No, Brooke, I'm not mad at you...I'm mad at me..." he revealed and she looked at him confused, "...I tell myself you mean nothing, you're just a crush I'll get over..." he continued and she looked at him, hurt and slightly angry.

"Julian I-"

"...but then you come here and make every so damn complicated and I can't be mad at you, I try, you know? I try my hardest to be mad at you but I can't because you smile that smile and you look at my with those eyes and you look so _beautiful _that it almost hurts and I-"

He didn't have time to finish because Brooke lips crashed onto his and he moaned at the soft feeling of them. She put her arms around his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her up and placing her on the work top. His hands moved to her thighs, gently caressing them through the jean and she moaned softly into his lips, causing his pants to tighten.

His tongue traced her bottom lip and she granted him a much anticipated entrance, deepening the kiss. They were in their own world, wrapped up in each other but reality soon came and knocked them out of their reverie.

Literally.

_Knock Knock_

The sound of someone knocking on the door brought them out of their passionate kiss and Julian went to answer it but Brooke stopped him.

"Just ignore it," she told him and pulled him into another kiss, one so tantalizing, he almost forgot about the door but they knocked again and he groaned.

"It might be my friends..." he kissed her, "I haven't really hung out with them lately," he said and she nodded, understanding so he went to answer the door.

Once he left, she smiled a little and touch her lips, relishing in the memory of their recent kiss. She suddenly felt a wave a confusion when she remembered the real reason she had came to see him but being with him, kissing him, touching him, she felt that she couldn't do it, she _knew_ that she couldn't do it.

She was broken out of her thoughts when she heard the loud, rambunctious voices of what she thought was at least four guys. She hopped off the work top and stood in the kitchen, feeling slightly awkward when Julian and his friends walked in.

"Well hello there, sweet _thang_," one of them said and winked at Brooke, "I'm Carter...Carter Webb," he said, trying to sound like James Bond but failing.

"Dude, shut up," Julian said and hit him on the back of his head, making him pout and sit down at the small, circular dining table.

"So Julian..." Dean started, "...are you gonna introduce us?" He continued with a smirk on his face.

"Urm," he coughed, "Guys, this is Brooke..." he motioned towards the uncomfortable brunette, "...Brooke this is Dean, Sam, Jake and you already know Carter," he introduced, pointing to each of them as he said their name.

He could see the appraisal in his friend's eyes and the smirks on their faces was hard to miss but he didn't take his eyes off Brooke. Dean jumped up onto the worktop while Sam and Jake sat down at the table with Carter. Julian was stood in the doorway while Brooke was leaned against the work top adjacent to the one Dean was sat on and despite Julian registering that his friends had made themselves more comfortable, his eyes never left Brooke's.

They all frowned slightly when they saw the way Julian was looking at Brooke; they had never seen him look at a girl like that before and it seemed weird to them.

"So is this why we haven't seen you in days? You been getting down and dirty with highschool girls?" Dean said, his smirk growing at the thought.

"Highschool girls?" Brooke said, annoyed, her eyebrow raised and her hands on her hips, "You do realise that Julian should be in highschool, right?"

"Feisty highschools girls as well...very nice," Dean commented and Brooke was ready to pounce but, and fortunately for Dean, Julian cut it.

"Dude," Julian said, trying to stop him from unleashing a nasty wrath and walked over to Brooke.

"You're not going soft on us, are you?" Jake said, his tone joking but then he saw Julian take a glance at Brooke and he frowned.

"Julian will never go soft...he's too big of a player, plus he'd never leave us hanging for a chick," Dean said, laughter clear in his tone but then he also caught sight of Julian's face, "Would you?"

"It's...it's complicated, man," Julian tried to explain, his attempt feeble but Brooke's hand clasping his calmed him immensely.

"Complicated?" Dean yelled and jumped back off the work top, "There's nothing complicated about it...you're gonna leave your friends behind for this highschool _slut_," he continued, expecting a reaction from Julian but nothing came; he only saw Julian clench his jaw and inhale deeply.

"Dean," Sam warned and shook his head.

"Does she know about the string of one night stands, the broken hearts; the number of girls that you've left crying?" Dean questioned and Julian seethed with pure anger, "Well she does now."

Julian was ready to jump on Dean and punch him until he couldn't say another word but despite Dean saying all those things, Brooke's grasp on his hand never lessened and that made him feel secure with the feeling that she didn't seem too bothered with what Dean had just said.

"Are you jealous or something?" Brooke said, feeling the need to defend Julian because even though she knew he was near his boiling point, he would never want to hurt one of his friends.

"Of what, sweetheart?" Dean asked, his cockiness never wavering.

"Me," she said simply then continued, "You won't have Julian all to yourself, will you? Although that does seem a little _gay_," she smirked when she saw his eyes widen, "No, no, I don't have anything against that lifestyle. I mean whatever you're into right," she added and felt pleased when she saw Dean shut up.

"Dean's gay?" Carter shouted, realising what Brooke had just said.

"No!" Dean shrieked and they all laughed, "I am not gay. I like girls, all girls...I love girls," he shouted and then shot a glare to Julian and Brooke, "It's very manly, to have your chick defend you."

"Just go Dean, before I say or do something I'll regret."

After that, Dean stormed out, the rest of them following him, a sympathetic look on their faces because they knew that Dean had started it but they also knew had Dean got when he was pissed off so they felt that they had to go and see that he didn't get himself killed or worse, kill himself.

Julian took a deep breath, moving towards the table and sitting down, putting his head in his hands. Brooke looked at him and frowned at his negative movements. She followed him towards the table and sat down in the chair opposite to his.

"Do you want me to go?" She asked and he removed his head from his hand and look up at her.

"Do you want to go?" He rebutted and she looked perplexed for a moment before looking down at the table.

"I don't know what I want," she answered and he stood up, pushing the chair back angrily and she flinched at the sound of it crashing onto the floor.

"I can't keep doing this, Brooke. I can't keep doing the same thing..." he said, frowning, "...I can't keep almost having you and then watching you walk away."

"I'm sorry...I am so sorry," she apologised then stood up and started pacing, "I don't want anyone to get hurt," she admitted and he nodded, understanding her motives to her actions.

"I get that, okay? I do but I think you need to come to terms with the fact that regardless of what you choose, of _who_ you choose, someone is going to get hurt," he told her.

"I know, I guess I just don't wanna come to terms with the fact that..." she sighed and stopped pacing, "...someone will get hurt and it'll be because of me," she continued and her eyebrows furrowed, as if she was thinking deeply about something.

"I never been so _damn_ confused in my life," he muttered and she took a deep breath.

"I think..." she inhaled again, "...I think I need some space from the _both_ of you," she told him and was shocked when she heard him laugh, a cold, harsh laugh.

"You are unbelievable," he said and looked her dead in the eye, showing her he was serious.

"Excuse me?" She asked, incredulously and placed her hands on her hips.

"You say you want space but the truth is, you can't keep away," he explained and realised how conceited that sounded, "_You _came up to the bar that first night, _you_ took me to the hospital, _you_ took me home after Nathan's party and _you _came to see me tonight," he continued and she had a look of confusion on her face before realising that he was right.

"Oh my god..." she whispered, saddened by his truthful observation and he looked at her, frowning because he had been the reason for her changed demeanor.

"I suppose my lack of will-power didn't help the situations...I didn't exactly slam the door in your face," he joked and she smiled at his attempt to make her feel better.

"Ya know..." she started and walked up to him, stroking his cheek when she reached him, "I don't know why they think you're..._bad_, because you're not, not at all," she finished and he flashed her his charming grin.

"It's easy to think your perception of someone is right than face the truth and find out you're wrong, that you were always wrong," he said, a look of sadness apparent in his eyes.

"I just need the time to think, time away from guys and petty issues and _drama_...that's what I came here to tell you," she revealed and he sighed in relief, glad that she didn't turn up at his from door to break his heart.

"I get it," he said and she placed a small kiss on his lips, letting it linger a second more that he thought she would.

"I knew you would understand," she told him, smiling as she did.

And then she left.

--

The ride to her house seemed much slower that any other time she had took the journey.

She didn't know whether to be thankful for the time to let her think or agitated that the time made her think.

It wasn't that she wasn't slightly grateful for the time to think, it just meant that she had to think about things that she didn't necessarily want to. She knew, more than Lucas, more than Julian, that she had to make a decision, a decision between two guys; the brooding blonde who betrayed her trust in the worst possible way or the tall, dark handsome bad boy who she didn't really know yet.

_Decisions, decisions, decisions _she thought, bitterly.

A she pulled into her driveway and killed the engine, she looked at her house, no particular reason in mind, she just stared at the beautifully built, three-storey, white abode. The red door seemingly the heart of the house, standing out with the crimson-like colour contrasting with the house's white paint job. In her mind, she reasoned that, without the blazing door, the house would be incomplete, another ordinary house in a line up of many.

The red door made it _unique_; one of a kind.

She shook her head of the thoughts, a chuckle making it's way past her lips as she realised that she had just basically cross-examined her _house_.

She entered her house, the deafening silence hitting her instantly but she learned not to flinch anymore, and made her way to her bedroom. She always went straight to her bedroom, the other rooms were just a formality of the house and weren't really any use to her.

Once she entered her bedroom, she switched on the light, a small scream leaving her mouth as she saw a dark figure lying on her bed but she sighed in relief when they turned around and faced her, making her see who it was.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She asked, annoyed.

"Well I did knock but you weren't in, so I thought I'd wait," they said and Brooke was about to ask them something but they interrupted her, "The key under the plant pot," they answered before she even asked the question.

"You could have just waited like any normal person but I suppose your here now, so what's up, goldilocks?" Brooke asked and Peyton shook her head as Brooke sat down on the bed.

"I know, Brooke," Peyton said and Brooke looked at her confused.

"You know what?" Brooke asked, nervously, although she tried to downplay it with an overly exaggerated confused look.

"Come on Brooke, I _know_, okay?" Peyton said back but Brooke's look didn't shift, "About Julian, Brooke. I know about Julian," she continued and Brooke's eyes widened.

"Wh-what? Julian? Wh-what about Julian?" Brooke stuttered and shifted her eyes across the room.

"The looks you were giving him during the game, you breaking up with Lucas...you've been sleeping with Julian," Peyton explained and Brooke glared at her while getting off the bed.

"Look, I don't know if this is some little theory you've pulled out of Rachel's ass but trust me, I have never slept with Julian," she said, harshly, "I would never cheat on anyone," she continued, almost lying; she _would _never cheat on anyone, however that doesn't change the fact that she _did_ cheat on someone.

"Brooke," Peyton started, laughing ironically, "Who are you trying to kid, huh? Okay, so you didn't cheat..." she continued and Brooke looked satisfied that she had made Peyton believe her, "..._physically_ but you did emotionally because I saw the look you gave him and I've only ever seen you give someone that look _once_ before," she finished and Brooke scowled at her.

"Oh yeah? And when was that?" Brooke asked, bitterly.

"Junior year, it was when you and Lucas were almost together..." she paused to sigh then continued, "...I realise what that look was now but back then, I was clouded by my own feelings but now? Now I know that when you give that look, you're letting that person see the real you, you're letting them knock down that wall you put up; you're letting them _in_," she finished, her truthful answer sending Brooke into silence.

Brooke's eyes became clouded with unushered tears and as she blinked, the drops cascaded down her porcelain cheek and a waterfall of others after it. Her small tears soon enlarged and before Peyton could say another word, Brooke's body began to rack with sobs so Peyton got up and guided her to the bed then wrapped her own arms around Brooke, feeling that was the only way that she could comfort in her time of need.

She wiped her tears and whispered soothing words but Peyton knew that Brooke had dug herself a deep, deep hole, one that she had to, somehow, climb out of herself.

"Why have you got yourself so worked up over Julian Baker?" Peyton questioned once Brooke's tears had subsided.

"He's not like you think and I know this will sound cliche but he's _different_, Peyton," she answered, looking Peyton in the eye as she spoke, "He _knows_ me, okay? He. Knows. Me."

"Okay," Peyton whispered, "So is he the reason you broke up with Lucas?" She asked and Brooke shook her head.

"No, I broke up with Lucas because I don't love him anymore..." she explained but then backtracked slightly, "I mean I will always love him, I'm just not in love with him anymore and if my parents taught me one thing then it was a loveless relationship is the worst kind," she continued, "Although I suppose that's kind of obvious," she muttered and Peyton chuckled at her best friend's words.

"Oh, Brooke Davis, what am I gonna do with you, huh?" Peyton said, humorously and Brooke gave her a small smile, one that faded within a split second of it appearing.

"This is really messed up, Peyton and I don't want anyone to get hurt," she said, truthfully.

"Sweetie, you need to be honest with yourself before you start making _any _decisions, okay? So just look deep into your heart and whoever it is that you want, tell them," Peyton told her and Brooke gave her a deadly look.

"It's a lot harder than that," Brooke snapped and then took a deep breath.

"Is it?" Peyton smirked and Brooke just wanted to hit her, "Don't be afraid, Brooke, just look into your heart," she continued.

"Again, it's a little more complicated than that," Brooke spat as Peyton got off the bed and made her way over to the door.

"I know you, okay? Probably better than I know myself and I know that you're scared but you're Brooke Davis...so be Brooke Davis...be fearless," Peyton said and then walked out of the door, leaving Brooke to ponder her words.

She stood up and walked over to her vanity, the memories of the night when Julian was attacked hitting her as she let her eyes scan over the numerous pictures but she was brought up short when she saw a small piece of paper hanging from her mirror. She reached out and pulled it from the mirror, taking a deep breath as she opened it.

_Brooke,_

_I know that you think I'm some kind of jackass and you're right, in a way, I am or I was. You see a few weeks ago a girl walked into my life and knocked my world for six. Now, I'm not particularly good with words but I knew that if I was ever to stand a chance with her, I'd have to do things a little differently, so I thought I'd leave you a note; although I suppose it seems more like a letter considering how much I'm rambling._

_Anyway, a girl came into my life and she isn't like any other girl I've met. She is this gorgeous brunette with an amazing energy and smile. She's funny and intelligent, kind-hearted and strong-headed. She's both simple and complicated, motherly and childish. She's tough and sensitive and beautiful. She's everything and she's does things to my heart that I didn't know were possible and she drives my crazy sometimes but you know? I wouldn't change a single hair on her head for the world._

_She's the kind of person that stands out in a crowd but somehow leaves her heart at the back and I know she gets scared but I just wanna tell her that she's different, a good different; the best different and she should follow her heart because no matter what her head says, it's her heart that speaks the truth. _

_I think I'm falling in love with the gorgeous brunette and the scares me beyond belief but I know that whether or not I get a chance, I just want her to know the real me. _

_I want you to be fearless, Brooke Davis because whatever fears you have or had, I wanna fight them with you._

_All my love,_

_Julian x_

_P.S Don't be afraid._

Brooke was in tears as she finished the letter but despite her tears, she had to smile because his words were one in a million and they meant so much to her that she just wanted to go back to his house and tell him thank you but she had told him she needed space so she knew that she couldn't go to his house.

As she scanned the letter again, she found it ironic that Peyton had said a lot of the same things that Julian had written and she wondered if Peyton had read that letter before Brooke had come home. It may just be coincidence that they both had some of the same things to say but she highly doubts that.

Feeling tired, she changed into some pyjamas and climbed into bed, sleep coming to her almost immediately.

The small piece of paper still attached to her small hand.

--

The next day came around a lot quicker than Brooke anticipated but, and much to her surprise, she walked into school with a smile on her face, expecting a good day. She felt like it was going to be a good day. She walked down the corridor and she saw Peyton approaching her so she gave her a welcoming smile and linked their arms once she reached Brooke.

"Hey," Peyton greeted her and Brooke smiled at her.

"I feel like it's going to be a good day," Brooke told Peyton and they giggled as they turned the corner to walk through to double doors.

The giggles died down as they saw a boy they recognised but couldn't place, standing no more than 50 yards away, pointing a gun in their direction. The anger in his eyes was apparent to both girls as they stood, frozen and unable to move.

Then, his eyes closed and he fired the weapon in his hand.

The sound echoed through the school and sent the students into hysteria; running for their lives, not caring who they trample on in the process.

Brooke ran and ran until she felt her heart was going to beat out of her chest. She got to the quad and saw Lucas coming off the bus so she ran straight to him as he ran to her.

"Lucas," she said as she reached him, "Someone has a gun inside and...and..." she stuttered as she tried to catch her breath, "...and then a shot went off and I lost Peyton-"

"Wait, Peyton was shot?" He interrupted and she she didn't know what to say as she stared at him with tear filled eyes then Lucas looked past her and saw Nathan run past him and Brooke, going in the direction of the school.

"Nathan!" Whitey yelled as he saw his basketball player run into the school and Lucas ran after him, tackling him to the ground when he reached him. Nathan rolled over so he was on top of Lucas and then stood up.

"Haley could be inside, okay, I gotta go in," Nathan said and continue into the school.

Lucas looked back to Brooke and Whitey before following Nathan. Brooke looked wide-eyed and went to run after him but Whitey pulled her back.

"Lucas..." she shouted as Whitey lifted her up and placed her on the bus.

She was wrong.

It wasn't going to be a good day.

* * *

**A/N: **So there you have it, chapter six. I took some words from episode 6x16 of One Tree Hill but I think you can guess what they are. Well guys, I hope you all enjoy it.

- undiscoveredwriter23


	7. Here In Your Arms

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**A/N: **The title of this chapter is the name of a song by Hellogoodbye.

Also I thought I'd drop a quick note and tell you that I am extremely grateful for all of the reviews I have received, thank you.

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

**_Here In Your Arms_**

Brooke hated waiting.

She sat on the bleachers in the old gym, her head in her hands and her leg shaking erratically.

When Whitey had put her on the bus, she was told that it was taking her, and the other students who were on it, to the old gym and when the students were there, they had to wait for a parent or guardian to come and pick them up, which was a slight problem for Brooke. She was sure her parents were somewhere in the East, possibly Asia, therefore she had no idea how she was going to get out of the gym when she had no parent or guardian to collect her.

She would have to wait for somebody to pick her up.

The fact the she was worrying about Peyton and Haley and Nathan and Lucas didn't help her at all. She felt worried and guilty. She was sitting in the gym and she might be annoyed but at least she was safe while her friends could be held at gun-point or ever worse they could be dead.

_No, _she thought, _you can't think like that._

She lifted her head up and looked at the other students that were waiting for their parents. She envied them, they all had parents that were going to pick them up, while she was waiting on nobody. No one was going to come and pick her up and she hated that _that _made her hurt.

She noticed a girl sitting at the bottom bleacher, her hair black, her clothes black and Brooke was sure that if the girl turned around, her make-up would be black but trying not to judge, she decided to get her attention.

"Hey," she called and the girl turned to look at her.

"Yeah?" The girl said rudely.

"I was just gonna ask how you were but I guess it doesn't matter," Brooke told her and the girl raised her eyebrow.

"Brooke Davis? Captain of the cheerleading squad? School president and all-around social butterfly wants to know how I'm doing?" She asked sarcastically and laughed at the end of her question.

"Just because I am those things doesn't mean that I can't ask you how you are," Brooke said back, annoyed.

"You're right but tell me this, if someone didn't take a gun into school today and we weren't practically stuck in a gym, would you still be asking me that question?" She questioned and Brooke looked at her shocked, not knowing what to say, "Yeah, I thought so." She said after Brooke failed to answer her and then walked to the other side of the gym.

Brooke, unable to form a word, just watched her go.

-x-

When Nathan and Lucas went into the school, Nathan lead them straight to Whitey's office, knowing that he had a few baseball bats in there. They got to the door of the office and looked around cautiously then entered as quietly as possible. Nathan looked around for the baseball bats and saw Whitey had hid them behind the cabinet on the left-hand wall.

He picked one up, handed one to Lucas and then pretended to swing it at something, making Lucas laugh at him cynically.

"You really think you're gonna stop a bullet with a _baseball bat_?" Lucas asked, incredulously.

"Look, this is all we've got okay? And I didn't ask you to come in here with me but I need to make sure Haley's alright," Nathan told him, his voice stern with authority and Lucas nodded, understanding his reasons.

"So where do you think she is?" Lucas asked as Nathan peeped out of the blinds.

"I don't know," he answered helplessly, "I think a safe bet would be the tutor centre," he continued, frowning slightly.

"She's gonna be okay, man," Lucas told him, reassuringly and patted his back, "This is Hales, she's like the most responsible person I know so I know she'll be okay," he continued and Nathan glared at him.

"She may be responsible but this isn't some party that's gotten out of hand...someone has a _gun_, Lucas, this isn't a fucking game," he half-yelled and Lucas looked at him shocked.

"I know..." he agreed with him then frowned, "...sorry," he muttered.

"Come on, let's go," he said after taking a deep breath and motioned Lucas to walk out the door with him.

Lucas followed him as they crept out of Whitey's office and as they turned into the corridor in which the gun was fired, they saw that the window in the double doors was shattered and the glass was all over the floor. They both frowned when they saw the door but neither of them voiced their concerns until they got closer to the wreckage and saw drops of blood near it.

They both looked at each other, the fear evident in the others eyes.

"It might not be Haley," Nathan said, shakily, praying and wishing that his words were true.

"Well it's someone," Lucas said and looked back at the blood, "It could be Peyton," he revealed and Nathan shook his head.

"It might not be," Nathan repeated, again wishing that his words were right.

"It's still someone," Lucas shouted quietly and clenched his jaw whilst walking in the direction of the blood.

"Luke..." Nathan started but then paused, unable to say the next words and Lucas stopped.

"You too, man," Lucas said back before continuing in the direction that he walking in before as Nathan made his way to the tutor centre, both of them still frowning.

Both of them scared to death.

-x-

Julian woke up when he heard the incessant knocking at his front door and hoping they would get the picture, he turned over and tried to get back to sleep but the knocking kept going. He groaned in annoyance before getting up to answer it. He grabbed his jeans on the back of his computer chair and slipped them on.

As he made his way through his living room, he caught sight of something on his couch and as curiosity got the better of him, he made his way over and picked it up. It was clear that it was some kind of charm bracelet and he smiled when he saw that one of the charms was a B, telling him that it was Brooke's. He reasoned that it must have slipped off when she had come over and was waiting for him on the couch.

The continuous rapping on his door knocked him away from his thoughts and with another groan of annoyance he went and answered it. As he swung the door open he saw Sam and Jake standing on his door step. He motioned them to come in and walked into the kitchen to make himself a coffee.

"So what's up?" He asked and they shot each other a confused glance. "Is it Dean?" He asked after they failed to answer his first question.

"No, Dean's fine, he was just pissed yesterday but he's calmed down now," Sam explained, answering his question.

"So then what is it?" He asked, suddenly confused at why they had shown up so early because he knew that they knew he liked to have a sleep in when he wasn't at work.

"Dude, have you saw the news?" Jake asked him and he looked even more confused but also pissed off.

"No, _dude_, I haven't saw the news, I was alseep and I'm gonna hit one of you if that is the reason that you have woke me up," he told them and looked even more pissed when they shot each other another glance.

"Listen man, I don't know how to tell you this..." Jake started but Julian cut in.

"Tell me what?" He asked, his eyes brimming with anger.

"Just turn on the TV, Julian," Sam told him and with an angry huff, he walked in the living room and switched on his TV, the news channel the first channel that came up and his eyes widened at the story.

_"We are broadcasting live from Tree Hill High School, where it is believed that a student from the school has took it upon himself to rampage the school with an armed weapon. There is no telling whether anyone is injured but it is believed that a number of students are trapped in the school and are being held at gun-point."_

Julian looked at the screen, unable to move but a million questions running through his head. Is Brooke alright? Is she hurt? Has she been shot? Is she trapped in the school with that monster? With all the questions swarming his mind and feeling his anger get the best of him, he clenched his fist and punched the wall beside him.

He took a deep breath before turning back to Sam and Jake, who both looked sympathetic. He went to say something before stopping and looking down to the floor, not knowing if he could say the words out loud. He swallowed and looked back up at them.

"Is she in the school?" He asked and they both shrugged.

"We don't know," Jake answered, his voice lace with sympathy, "No one knows whose inside the school," he continued and Julian walked into his bedroom.

They waited in the room for him and a few minutes later he emerged, fully dressed in his usual look of jeans with converse but had opted for a black hooded sweater instead of his usual blue shirt. Both Sam and Jake knew that sweater and they knew he only wore it when he was going to do something wrong or illegal. To top off his image, he had a look of determination on his face and anger in his eyes and they knew he was going to do something that would probably get him killed or arrested.

"Don't do anything stupid," Sam said and grabbed his arm but Julian just shrugged him off.

"Don't be here when I get back," he snapped as he grabbed his helmet and keys.

"You don't wanna do this, Julian, you could get hurt or arrested," Jake said and Julian glared at him.

"And what about Brooke, huh? What if she's hurt? I have to go..." he told them, "I have to save her," he muttered but they had somehow heard him and they both nodded.

"Call us, okay? Let us know that you're okay...let us know that she's okay," Sam said and Julian looked at him shocked before smiling at him.

"Thank you," he said, gratefully before walking out of the door and jumping onto his bike.

He had to make sure Brooke was okay.

-x-

Lucas crept through the hallways, following the droplets of blood that eventually lead to the library. He swallowed before pushing open the doors and slowly walking through them. He took a deep breath as he began walking through the giant room, the trace of blood still apparent. He made sure he was light on his feet as he moved through the rows of bookshelves and then paused when he heard a noise close by. He gripped the bat tighter and turned the corner to see who was there, his eyes widening at the sight in front of him.

-x-

The tutor centre was hauntingly quiet.

Even with the inhabitants of seven very scared students.

They were sitting against the wall that was directly beside the door, all of them checking the door every two minutes, all of them except one. None of them dared speak encase they brought attention to the room and the gunman heard. They had seen movies with shootings but none of them ever believed that it could happen to them; they never believed that it could be real.

It was evident in all of their faces that they were scared, it was evident in their lack of movement or communication and it was especially evident when all of their heads snapped towards the door when they heard a soft rapping against it and all of their faces contorted into fear.

The soft rapping continued before Haley got up and went to open it but was stopped as she reached the door.

"What the hell are you doing? It could be that psycho," Marcus said, angrily but the fear lacing his angry tone told them he was just scared.

"It could also be someone who needs help," Haley responded calmly and went to open the door but Marcus dragged her back.

"Hey," Skills said as he jumped up, "Don't man handle her like that," he told him threateningly and motioned for Haley to open the door but again Marcus dragged her back so Skills grabbed him by the collar and pushed him into the wall, "What the hell did I just tell you? Haley open the door," he told her and Haley did as he said.

She unlocked the door and opened it slightly, peeping around the corner. She saw it was Nathan and opened the door fully then jumped into his arms. He hugged her back with just as much love and care before putting her down and looking at the other people in the room.

"What's going on?" Mouth asked and Nathan looked over at him.

"We're getting out of here," he told them and went to walk out of the door.

"Nobody's going anywhere."

They all turned and looked back to see a gun being pointed at them, bringing the fear back into their eyes. The gunman motioned for them to get back into the room and once they were, he walked over to the door and locked it again. He went and stood behind the desk at the front of the room, rubbing his neck as he paced.

"Oh Jimmy, what have you done?" Mouth asked and Jimmy looked at him with angered eyes.

"Just shut up, Mouth!" He shouted angrily.

"Or what, dawg? You gonna shoot us?" Skills asked as he stepped forward a little.

"Shut up, Skills," Jimmy ordered again.

"We used to be friends, Jimmy, _friends_," Skills told him but it only angered him more.

"Yeah, we _used_ to be, not anymore," he shouted as he pointed the gun at him.

"Woah, man, calm down, okay?" Nathan said, trying to resolve the situation.

"_Nathan Scott_," Jimmy taunted, "I want you to do something for me," he said as he rummaged through the desk.

"If you let Haley go, I will," Nathan replied but Jimmy laughed at him.

"This isn't a negotiation, you _will_ do this or instead of letting her go, I'll put a bullet in her," he threatened and threw a roll of black tape at him, "Put a line of this across the floor from there," he pointed to one side of the room, "to there," he pointed to the other side and Nathan, reluctantly, did as he was told.

"This is messed up," Nathan muttered as he handed the tape back to Jimmy after putting some on the floor.

"Yeah it is," Jimmy agreed, "Now, everyone listen carefully because this is important...anyone crosses this line, even steps on the line..."

"Jimmy don't do this," Mouth interrupted.

"...and they're dead."

-x-

Julian arrived at Tree Hill High School within a matter of minutes of leaving his house because he had drove at a speed that could of killed him and he hadn't hit the breaks once. It didn't matter to him though. His mind was on one thing and one thing only, no amount of red lights were going to stop him.

Fortunately, there wasn't a lot of police officers because they were, unfortunately, at the school, trying to reprimand some psycho that was holding hostages at gun-point.

He jumped off his motorcycle and ran to where the number of police officers, SWAT cars, worried parents and the general media were stood. He looked around for Brooke but couldn't see her and his worry intensified. He wandered through the gathering of people, his eyes scanning every place that he could see and when he still couldn't see her, he began to ask random people if they knew where she was.

"Excuse me, do you know where Brooke Davis is?" He asked a number of times and kept getting the same, sympathetic head shake.

He was sure that he had asked every person where she was and not one of them had an actual verbal answer for him. He could feel the frustration build within him and when he was about to leave and search somewhere else, an old woman approached him.

"Honey, are you looking for someone?" She asked him in a motherly tone and his eyes widened with hope.

"Yeah, yeah I am," he nodded his head vigorously, "Brooke Davis - that's her name, do you know where she is?" He repeated and the old woman smiled at him.

"Well I don't for certain if she's there," she answered and he looked down, "But I know that the students were evacuated to the old gym, where they now host the weekly basketball games, she might be there," she continued and he smiled widely at her before embraced her in a tight hug.

"Thank you...thank you so much," he said to her and she smiled back at him.

"Anything I can do to help," she told him and then grinned at him, "So, you love this girl then?" she asked and he looked at her shocked.

"No no no, she's just important to me, that's all," he answered her and even as the words fell from his mouth, they somehow felt wrong to say.

"Whatever you say, sweetie but only someone in love would be a big enough fool to come down to a school where there is a hostage situation and look for someone," she told him, smiling as she did.

"Maybe I am in love then," he agreed with her and she nodded her head in approval.

"Nice that you finally admit it, now why don't you go and tell her that," she suggested and he frowned, realising that he still had to find Brooke.

"Yeah, yeah, I will," he told her, distractedly before beginning to walk off, "Thank you," he said and smiled tightly.

"Your welcome," she said back and waved at him as he jumped on his motorcycle.

As he rode on his bike, he smiled a little when he realised that Brooke was probably at the old gym, which meant she was out of harms way and as safe as can be in the situation.

He was so happy that she was okay.

-x-

Brooke had been sat in the gym for what felt like hours and she hadn't moved from her position on the bleachers, so her legs had gone a little numb and were starting to feel funny. Despite the weird feelings in her legs, she never moved; she wanted to pretend the she was just in a dream, a weird yet horrific dream and she felt that if she didn't move, then it would feel like a dream.

Feeling brave, she did a scan of the gym and noticed that the media had tracked them down and were asking students about the tragedy.

A wave of anger built up within her and she made her way over to the woman who was interviewing, or trying to interview, a scared looking freshman. She gently grabbed the boy's shoulder and moved him so that he was standing behind her. She then looked the news woman dead in the eye and glared at her.

"Would you like to tell us how you're feeling?" The broadcast lady asked.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," she spat and then looked away before turning back to look the woman dead in the eye again, "There are kids inside our school fearing for their lives right now; terrified that somone is gonna put a gun in their face and pull the trigger and you wanna know how I'm feeling?"

"Look I-"

"Our pain is not a commodity for you, it's not a news bite to boost your ratings because tomorrow or the next day or the next week when we go back to school, changed forever by a day that will never leave us, where are you gonna be?" She questioned and her voice broke, "At the next tragedy, thrusting your microphone in the face of the next fractured person, asking them how they feel," she shook her head, "Lady, that is not journalism, you are not contributing anything to society; you are buzzards, circling the carnage but you prey on the living," her glare intensified.

"This is-"

"_That _is how I'm feeling but something tells me you're not gonna air that," she finished and walked away, leaving the news cast woman feeling, and looking, shocked and guilty.

As she walked away, she felt like the gym was closing in on her and she had to get out so she walked through the double doors, feeling the gust of fresh air hit her and out on nowhere, she just burst into tears. She leaned against the pole, using it as leverage to keep her upright as the amount of tears grew. Images of her friends and loved ones flashing through her mind; Peyton, Haley, Lucas, Nathan, Mouth, Julian.

_Julian? _she thought, confused as she knew that he was safe but despite her confusion, her sobs never settled.

She slid down the pole, practically hugging it when she heard her name being called.

"Brooke, Brooke," their voice was frantic and she looked up to see Julian running up to her, "Brooke, are you okay?" He asked with a voice laced with worry as he knelt down by her.

"Julian," she choked as she leaned into him and began sobbing into his chest.

His heart broke as he heard her painful cries but he could only hold her close to him and whisper that it was going to be okay. He wanted to believe his own words but he knew that at least one of her friends was inside that school and he had no idea how she was feeling so he just pulled her closer to him, tightening his hold and let her cry out her worries and fears.

As his hold tightened, he realised that her sobs were subsiding and he craned his neck to look down at her and as he did, she looked up at him. Her face was tear-stained, her eyes red from crying profusely and her nose had gone a shade pinker than usual and she looked so cute but he had to fight the smile he felt was about to grace his lips because of circumstances they were in.

"How did you know I was here?" She asked, hoarsely, her voice cracking slightly at the end of the sentence.

"I saw the, uh, the situation on the news and went to the school to look for you," he looked deep into her eyes, "But you weren't there so I started asking about until some old lady told me that the students who esca-" he paused due to the words he was using and he saw her frown, "who came out were sent here, so here I am," he finished, adding a small grin as he did.

"Why?" She questioned and he frowned.

"Why?" He repeated, confused as to what she was asking.

"Why did you come here?" She asked again but in more detail and again, he had to fight a smile.

"Because, Brooke Davis," he started and put his hands on either side of her face, his thumbs gently rubbing her cheeks, "If I didn't come here, who would save you?" He answered her question with a question and she moved her head so that his hands fell off.

"I don't need saving," she said stubbornly and looked down but he placed to fingers under her chin and lifted her head to look back at him.

"You may not need saving, Brooke..." he said and then paused, never blinking, "...but I _want _to save you."

He saw her eyes tear up and frowned; he didn't want her to be sad. He moved forward to comfort her but she just put her hand up to stop him and he took her signal to move back, a pained expression on his face. She took a deep breath and stood up, using the pole to help her. He followed her action and looked at her to trying decipher what she was going to do next.

"Are you okay?" He asked and she smiled at him.

"Will you take me home, please?" She asked him and he nodded, grinning at her.

"Sure," he answered but then frowned, "We'll have to take a cab though, I only have my bike," he continued.

"It's okay, I don't mind going with you on your bike," she told him, grinning and he nodded.

They started walking to where he had parked his bike and Brooke leaned into him slightly. He looked down at her face and noticed the solemn expression on it so he took a leap of faith and put his arm around her shoulders. She turned to look at him and smiled softly, to which he gave her a small grin.

As they reached his bike, he opened the back to get out his spare helmet out and handed it to her.

"Julian," she called his name and he looked up at her, "I'm glad you're here to save me," she said to him and he smiled widely at her before they both put their helmets on, Julian having to help Brooke when she couldn't fasten hers and then they jumped onto the motorcycle.

They would always be there to save each other.

-x-

_He gripped the bat tighter and turned the corner to see who was there, his eyes widening at the sight in front of him._

"Ahh," Peyton let out in fear as she thought Lucas was the shooter.

"Peyton," Lucas whispered and ran to a frail looking Peyton, who was falling in and out of consciousness.

"Lucas," she choked and struggled to keep her eyes open, "It hurts, Lucas, it really hurts," she said.

Lucas frowned as he looked down her body to see what she was talking about and saw that her leg had blood dripping from it. His eyes widened in panic and he quickly took off his shirt to wrap it around her leg. She whimpered and he stroked her hair to soothe her. He went to move but she groaned in protest.

"Don't leave me," she said and he looked at her conflicted, wondering what he should do.

"Okay," he said back and sat back down, letting her lean against him and he looked worried as he saw her very paled complexion, "But I'm gonna get you out of here, I promise," he told her and looked up at him.

"You're always saving me," she whispered and he smiled at her.

"Someone's got to," he said back and she leaned up, her lips pressing against his.

"Just encase you can't keep your promise," she explained when she saw him frown.

She rested against him again and he looked away, focusing his eyes on a random bookshelf, letting his fingers graze his lips.

What did that kiss mean?

-x-

Jimmy had been pacing the floor for the past hour, thinking about what he was going to do. He didn't even know what he was going to do when he had entered the school this morning but as he walked around the room where his hostages looked on, scared, fearful for their lives, Jimmy Edwards knew that he had lost his way; he had lost himself.

The bell rang for second period but his pacing never eased and everyone in the room looked at him confused and even suspicious as to what he was going to do. None of them wanted to become the next story in the newspaper, telling of how one of THHS's students massacred a room full of his peers.

They all looked surprised when he moved to the door and unlocked it. He was about to walk through it before he stopped and turned to them.

"It's all gonna change now," he said and they frowned at his words.

"Don't do this Jimmy," Mouth said and he smiled at him.

"You were a good friend, Mouth," he told him, which reduced Mouth to tears and Rachel pulled him into a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry I did this..." he said, regretfully, "...but it wasn't supposed to be like it was."

He gave them all a small smile before leaving the room and making his way down the empty hallways. He turned the corner and saw Lucas, holding Peyton in his arms, walking through the shattered double doors. He frowned and noticed that Lucas had saw him, stopping both of them in their step and Lucas saw the metal object in his hand.

"You're not supposed to be here," he said through clenched teeth.

"I know, I know, Jim but she's hurt and she needs help," Lucas told him and he saw the wound in Peyton's leg that was dripping with blood.

"I never meant to hurt her," Jimmy choked, fighting back the tears.

They heard a door open and they both turned to see who it was, both of them shocked as they realised who the person was. He slowly moved in front of Lucas and Peyton, as if he was guarding them and turned his head slightly so that it was in the direction of Lucas and Peyton.

"Get her out of here, Lucas," he told him and Lucas glared at him.

"What the hell are you doing here, Julian?" Lucas asked angrily but Julian just shook his head.

"It doesn't matter, just get her out of here," Julian said, sternly and fighting his hesitation, Lucas nodded and began to walk out, hesitating again at the door, "I'll be fine," Julian told him and he nodded again, before continuing to walk away.

Julian turned back to Jimmy and saw that he wasn't the monster that he had pictured, he was just scared; he could see the fear in his eyes and as Julian stepped forward, Jimmy jumped back making sure that he was no where near him.

"I just wanna talk," he told him and Jimmy shook his head adamantly.

"Now's not the time to be a hero," Jimmy said harshly and Julian nodded.

"You can just walk out of here, you know? You haven't seriously hurt anyone," He said, trying to erase the picture of Peyton from his mind, "You won't do a lot of time," he continued and he saw Jimmy's legs buckle from under him, causing him to fall to the floor.

Julian slowly inched forward and his eyes widened with panic when he saw Jimmy put the gun to his chest. He saw his finger on the trigger and he ran as fast as he could and pushed Jimmy to the floor, trying to battle the gun out of his hand. They rolled over slightly and then, without warning, a shot was heard.

Julian stood up, a pained expression on his face as he stumbled back, his eyes blinking profusely. He stumbled some more, all the while, clutching his stomach.

"I'm so sorry," Jimmy apologised before placing the gun back on his own chest and pulling the trigger.

Julian fell back completely, his body crashing to the floor with a sickening thud.

The silver charm bracelet falling from his hand.

Brooke stirred in her sleep before opening her eyes and looking around the foreign room. She frowned but as realisation came to her, that soon turned into a smile. She lifted her hand and felt the space beside her, looking to find Julian next to her but all she felt was cold sheets and as she turned her head, all she saw was an empty space.

Where was Julian?

* * *

**A/N: **I have been really inspired lately so here is the next chapter and I really hope that you all enjoy it. Thanks for the reviews.

- undicoveredwriter


	8. Hallelujah

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**A/N: **The title of this chapter is the name of a song by Jeff Buckley.

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

**_Hallelujah_**

_well your faith was strong but you needed proof_

"We gotta gun shot victim; male, name's Julian; entry wound through the lower abdomen from a close range shot...he's lost a lot of blood and there's definite signs of internal bleeding," the male paramedic said as they wheeled the almost lifeless body into the hospital.

"Prep for surgery, we need to get that bullet out now," the doctor demanded as he spoke to two female nurses, who nodded obediently, "Julian...Julian, can you hear me, son? I'm Dr. Copeland and I'm going to be conducting your surgery," he said as Julian kept going in and out of consciousness.

Everything was moving swiftly, from the school into the ambulance, from the ambulance into the hospital and as they lifted his body onto the surgery table, Julian slowly succumbing to the darkness that was surrounding him, he only had one thought in his mind.

_you saw her bathing on the roof_

_her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you_

"Brooke," he choked as his eyes began to close, "Brooke," he repeated.

The sound of a long, droning beep could be heard through the room and two of the nurses looked at each other panicked.

"Quick, he's flat-lining," one of the nurse shouted, "We need to do a cardio-pulmonary resuscitation," she told them whilst picking up the electrical impulse chargers and handing them to the doctor.

"Charge 300," Dr. Copeland said as he rested them on Julian's chest, charging them after only a second and then waited for a response.

_it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah_

Nothing.

"Charge 500," the doctor shouted, resting them on Julian's chest, "Come on, Julian, come on," he encouraged and charged them again.

_it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah_

Nothing.

_Riding down the road on his motorcycle, Brooke's arms wrapped around him, was the best feeling in the world for Julian. More so the feeling of her arms around him than riding the bike but with the adrenaline of riding fast and the love and lust of Brooke with him, it was an all time high. Especially, when everytime he went that little bit faster, her arms would tighten around him and he could hear her giggle, the sound slightly muffled by the helmet but it was still like music to his ears._

_He got them to his house in no time at all because although he did follow the law and stop at red lights, there wasn't much traffic so it didn't take them that long. When he stopped the engine and jumped off, he helped Brooke to get off as well and he was sure that his throat restricted and his pants tightened when Brooke pulled the helmet off her head and flipped her hair from side to side, running her hand through it as she did. _

_She went to walk into his house but she noticed that he hadn't moved so she looked over to him and he grinned at her, licking his lips slightly._

_"What?" She asked, a small smile playing across her lips._

___"Nothing,_" he shrugged, ___"You just look hot,_" he said, nonchalantly, walking into the house and she laughed at his feeble attempt to make it seem like an off-hand comment, ___"What?_" He asked, as she had just done.

___"Nothing,_" she shrugged, imitating him, ___"You just look hot,_" she mocked, walking past him and he glared playfully at her, ___"You are such a bad actor,_" she said as she got to his door.

___"Bad actor but one hell of a good looking bad actor,_" he said, posing as he did and she burst out laughing, causing him to smile at the infectious sound.

___"Yeah, whatever,_" she said jokingly before finally walking into the house.

_She sat down on his couch, propped her feet up on the coffee table and switched the TV on while he put the plastic cover over his motorcycle. He walked in and saw her sprawled out in his living room, making him smile softly. He walked over, dropped down beside her and took the control out of her hand._

___"Hey,_" she protested but he just grinned at her and she shook her head at him.

_After much flipping through the channels, he finally settled on some documentary about sailors without Brooke telling him there was no way she could watch that. He thought it was partially because he could tell that her breathing was more laboured so she was probably tired. He rested his head against her chest and he smiled when he felt her hand run through his hair. The slow, rhythmic movements feeling so sensual to him, he just wanted to pick her up and take her into his bedroom, lie her on his bed and lavish her in the love he knew she deserved._

_Deciding that the sailor documentary was boring, he began to flip through the channel's again but as he was pressing the button, he lost control of the grip he had and as the device slipped from his hand, the TV landed on the news channel, causing Brooke to sit upright. He looked to Brooke and there wasn't a sign of the playfulness she was just exerting, instead she looked worried and guilty and regretful._

_He touched her leg as a way to comfort her but she flinched away from his hand and even though he kind of guessed she was going to reel herself back in, it didn't hurt any less. She saw the hurt in his eyes and she gave him an apologetic look._

___"It's gonna be okay, Brooke,_" he told her and she stood up, angered by his words.

___"How do you know that? How?_" She asked, harshly with her usual defensive stance; hands on her hips and eyebrow raised.

___"I don't know,_" he answered, defeated, after a moment of silence and then he walked up to her, ___"But I'd like to think that with a friend as strong and as stubborn as you, that it's probably rubbed off,_" he continued and her eyes noticeably softened.

___"Why are you so nice to me?_" She questioned, looking up into his eyes.

___"How can I be anything but?_" He replied and wrapped his arms around her waist.

_He dipped his head and placed a soft kiss on her lips then began to pull away but Brooke's hands, that were reached around his neck, pulled him back in and deepened the sweet and innocent kiss. The feeling of her soft lips was making him go crazy and he lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist and he made his way to his bedroom._

_He pushed the door open and as he walked through, he kicked it shut with his foot. He stumbled over to the bed, Brooke still in his arms, her lips still firmly attached to his and he gently laid her down. Once her back hit the bed, their lips separated and they looked into each others eyes. There was an understanding that under the circumstances, they knew that it should feel wrong but despite what it should have been, it was the farthest thing from it._

_Their lips came together again in another passionate kiss, one that only broke when Julian began to place wet kisses along Brooke's jawline and neck and chest; the sounds of her moaning underneath him only encouraging him to continue. _

_He raised himself off her slightly, lifting his sweater off as he did. His muscular torso looked a lot more healed than it did at her house, the bruises he had received, after the beating that he had taken the other week, were almost completely faded. She ran her fingers across his chest, down his stomach and then along the top of his pants, causing his eyes to close at the contact. _

_She pushed herself up to put her hand to the back of his head and pull him back down, his lips crashing on to hers. His tongue roamed her mouth freely and the warmth that her tongue exerted made him crumble and succumb to her every need. She sighed pleasurably into his lips and his hand made it's way up her top, gently caressing her breast and she moaned._

_He took care in removing every piece of her clothing and when she was laid in front of him, completely naked, he took a moment to admire her beauty. He began kissing every inch of her beautiful form and she moaned as she felt the wetness of his lips on her skin._

_Every moan, every sigh was unlike anything he had ever heard and he embraced each and every sound that left her swollen lips._

_He quickly took off the rest of his clothing and positioned himself at her entrance, barely able to contain himself from thrusting straight into her but he respected Brooke and he would wait for her confirmation._

_The look of lust and desire in her eyes was one thing and then she pulled him in for another amazing kiss and a__fter that, it was just a blur of skin on skin, moan after moan and Julian dropping the occasional wet kiss on her lips or neck._

_It was bliss; nothing like Julian had ever experienced because it was him making love__ for the first time._

_They laid together in the afterglow, the glistening of sweat visible on both of them and as Brooke laid curled up to Julian, her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat and his arm wrapped around her, Brooke had never felt more content, ever. Despite the amazing feeling, it scared her, a lot more than she would like to admit. She gently traced circles on his chest, which was slowly rising up and down due to his breathing._

_He reached over to his bedside table, picking something up and dangled into front of her._

_"I found your charm bracelet," he told her and she looked up at him smiling widely._

_"I was looking everywhere for this, I thought I had lost it," she said to him and leaned up to place a soft kiss on his lips, "Thank you."_

_"You're welcome," he replied but noticed that she had gone awfully quiet, "What's wrong?" He asked, rubbing her back as he did._

_"Peyton got me this," she told him, motioning to the bracelet and he didn't know what to say, not knowing, not being able to understand what she was going through, ____"I'm scared,_" she admitted and he looked down at her, frowning.

___"Of what?_" He asked, wondering why she would be scared when she was lying in his arms and he would never let anything happen to her.

___"That I'm not gonna see them again,_" she said and propped herself up on his chest, ___"They're like my family,_" she swallowed, ___"You saved me...but whose gonna save them?_" she question and put her head back on his chest.

_He frowned at her question and clenched his jaw. He never wants Brooke to be in pain and he could tell that she was hurting just thinking about the prospect of losing them and that prospect could definitely become a reality. He knew he had to do something to help her._

___"I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to them,_" she whispered into his skin.

_"Okay," he replied but she never heard him and he knew, in his head, what he had to do._

_She slowly fell into a deep slumber, her hand slowing to a stop on his chest._

_A small smile on her face as she finally drifted off._

Brooke shook her head, allowing herself to leave the memory and smile at the feeling she got when she just thought about it. It was a feeling that she hadn't felt in a very long time and as the warmth spread through her body and the butterflies swarmed her stomach, it was a feeling she never wanted to lose again; a feeling she wished she would never lose again.

_she tied you to her kitchen chair_

_she broke your throne and she cut your hair_

She sighed happily and walked over to Julian's fridge to get herself a glass of orange juice. It was so easy to feel comfortable in his home but she was a little pissed that he had just left without warning, only a note that said:

_Wait for me,_

_Love Julian x_

She had done as his note had said and she had been waiting for him for the past hour and not only was she worrying about her friends, who she had been calling for the past hour, she was also worrying about Julian. She took a sip from the glass when she heard her phone ring so she trailed to the living room to answer it.

"Hello," she answered, "Haley?...What's wrong?...Haley, calm down and talk to me slowly...Peyton, what?...oh my god," she whispered the last words and the phone fell from her left hand.

_and from your lips she drew the hallelujah_

The glass falling from her right, shattering across the floor.

-x-

_i've seen this room and i've walked this floorI_

_used to live alone before I knew you_

Sam walked from his bedroom into Dean's, picked up the football that was sitting on the set of drawers and threw it at his brother, causing him to groan and turn over in the bed. Sam chuckled at his brother's inability to get up before noon and made his way into the kitchen. He rubbed his face, trying to take some of the tiredness out of him and began to make himself some breakfast. He knew that if his brother smelt food, he would be up sooner that he thought he would.

He bustled around the kitchen, his main trip from the fridge to the stove, getting the eggs and then frying them. As he stood over the heat, Jake and Carter barged in through the backdoor and made themselves at home. They may not be the most conventional bunch but they were the only family the others had.

"Hey, man," Jake greeted as he took a seat at the table, "You heard from Julian?"

"Nope," Sam shook his head, "He might just be at home with Brooke, who knows," he shrugged but even as he dismissed the thought, he knew something was up.

"Brooke? That smoking hot chick?" Carter questioned and then giggled, earning a hit to the back of his head, "Ouy," he groaned.

"Shut up, dude," Jake told him then turned his attention back to Sam, "Didn't you tell him to call you though?" He asked, frowning as the new set of information settled in his head.

"Yeah, I did but you know what he's like," he replied and plated up the food.

"What whose like?" Dean asked from the doorway as he stretched his arms and then made his way to the table, grinning at the food in Sam's hands.

"Julian," Carter stated before beginning to eat, "We don't know where he is," he told him, his mouth full of food, earning yet another hit across the head.

"That's disgusting, eat your food properly," Jake scolded him and laughed to himself after a moment; _they were definitely a weird lot, _he thought.

"Well where was he when you last saw him?" Dean asked as Sam brought the rest of the food over and they all, except Carter, started to eat.

"His house," Sam answered, "But he left to go and get Brooke from the school," he continued and Dean's eyes widened.

"Where there was a shooting?" He asked and they all nodded, "That guy has got a death wish, I'm telling you," he muttered and then the phone rang.

_i've seen your flag on the marble arch_

_but love is not a victory march_

"I'll get it," Sam said as he got up.

He walked to the phone and sighed before picking it up, expecting a boring conversation to occur. He greeted them and as he was just about to tell them he didn't want to buy anything, he heard the person on the other tell him that they were from the hospital. He listened carefully and nodded, even though they couldn't see him but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to say anything. He swallowed as the phone call ended and he made his way back into the kitchen.

He stopped by the door and looked into space, causing the others to frown at him. Dean stood up and walked to his brother, shaking him slightly, to bring him out of his haze. Sam turned to look at him, a distant look in his eyes and Dean instantly knew something was wrong.

"What is it, Sammy?" He asked, his hand resting on his brother's shoulder.

"It's Julian..." he started and it was then they all knew, before he had even said anything, they all knew, "...he's been shot."

"Come on," Dean said as he pushed his brother in to his bedroom, "Get dressed, we're going to the hospital," he told him and Jake and Carter nodded in agreement but Sam never budged as he looked at them, his face paling slightly.

_it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah_

"They said it doesn't look good, Dean."

-x-

_well there was a time when you let me know_

_what's really going on below_

_but now you never show that to me do you_

The waiting room was extremely quiet, the hollowness of the walls not even echoing the slightest sound. It took some of them back to barely twelve hours ago when they were fearing for their lives and as they sit and wait, they realise that they're not fearing for _their _lives, they're fearing for Peyton's.

Taken back to when they were still inside the school, were the lives were subsequently in the hands of Jimmy Edwards, they had no idea that they would be waiting on finding out if their dear friend would live or die. When they had heard the ringing of gunshots and then the silence afterwards, it never occurred to any of them that Peyton was still in the school. Also, after the SWAT team had stormed the school and lead them to safety, they had not bargained on seeing her lifeless body being hoisted into an ambulance; the image of her deadly complexion still clearly visible in all their minds.

For Brooke though, the only one who had not been trapped in the school, the guilty feeling was killing her. While she was safe and having sex with someone they all loathed, her best friend had been fighting to hang on, had been fighting for her life and as her friends told her the horrific tale of their time on death's door, it did nothing to ease the nauseous feeling in her stomach.

Brooke sat in the waiting room, silent, unmoving until she craned her neck from left to right, scanning the room. It was fairly full; those who had experience the tragedy were all in sight. Nathan and Haley sitting on the opposite side of the room, silently comforting each other with tender kisses and soothing words. Skills, Rachel and Mouth were sat beside them, all of them still but she could see the tears flowly freely down Mouth's face, biting his lip to restrain himself from sobbing. Jake was sat at the end, staring off into space, his face looking broken and pained.

She noticed that Karen and Keith had joined them in the room, both of them acting as the beloved parents that they were; pacing and checking up on the group every now and then. She looked beside her where Lucas was sat, his head in his hands and she knew that he had been crying, if not from his heavy breathing then from his red-rimmed eyes.

He had been trying to contact Larry but so far, had no luck.

Silence was one thing Brooke hated but the emptiness was soon interrupted when low voices could be heard, the sound of them growing louder and closer. Then, much to her surprise, Dean, Sam, Jake and Carter walked through the waiting room's double doors, stopping dead in their tracks as they saw who was already there.

_and the holy dove was moving too_

_but remember when I moved in you_

_and every breath we drew was hallelujah_

She frowned, a strange feeling occupying her but before she could question their reasons for being there, Lucas was already up and out of his seat, asking them what she wanted to know.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Lucas asked angrily as he reached them, his bellowing voice causing everyone to look up.

"Where else would we be?" Sam said, frowning at the question but it fueled Lucas's anger.

"You don't even know Peyton," he spat and the four rough looking boys looked confused.

"We're not here for Peyton," Sam replied, calmly and he shifted his eyes to Brooke, "We're here for Julian."

"Julian?" Brooke whispered, the uneasy feeling growing and she made her way over to where the five boys were stood, "Why would Julian be here?" she questioned, her voice breaking slightly.

"He, uhm, he was-" Sam started but was rudely interrupted.

"Why the hell do you care about Julian, Brooke?" Lucas asked, harshly, his eyes burning holes into her, "He's scum," he spat.

"You don't even know him," she shouted, glaring at him and everyone raised their eyebrows, looking surprised at Brooke's outburst.

"And you do?" Lucas questioned but she stayed quiet.

"Listen," Dean started and everyone looked at him, "Julian knew that Brooke's friends were in the school and he knew that if anything happened to them then she would be hurting so he had to be the idiotic hero and went to go and help them," he paused, "Why else would he have been inside he school, it's not like he cares for any of you," he finished and they all stared at him, "What?"

"Nice, Dean," Sam muttered, "Julian's in hospital because, like Dean just said, he went into the school, and he was shot," he explained and Brooke's eyes widened as she gasped in shock.

__

_well maybe there's a god above_

_but all i've ever learned from love_

was how to shoot someone who outdrew you

No one said anything for a long time, not even Brooke. All of them were digesting the new information that Sam had told them and Brooke was almost tearing her hair out with worry. Julian was in hospital and even though she wanted to do nothing more than not believe that Julian went into the school for her, it all made sense. She realised that he was in the hospital and even though she didn't really know the extent of his injuries, he was still there because of her. The overbearing guilt grow and she felt the stinging of tears enter her eyes.

Sam looked at her saddened expression and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her and Dean, Jake and Carter followed him, all of them wrapping their arms around her because they were the only ones who knew of each others pain.

Lucas looked at the group hug in disbelief and started laughing bitterly.

"Well this is great Brooke," he said and they separated, "Now you're friends with all the scum," he said harshly and Dean glared at him as he went to grab him but Sam and Jake held him back.

"Lucas," Keith warned but Lucas just shook his head at him.

"Don't, Dean, he's not worth it," Sam told him and Dean dropped his defences and stepped back.

"What the hell is your problem Lucas?" Brooke asked as she glared at him, "Did you not here what they just said, he went into the school to save you," she continued.

"I know," he said plainly and Brooke looked at him blankly.

"What?" She asked sharply and everyone listened in to hear what he had to say.

"I knew he was there," he said, "When I was carrying Peyton out, he came in and told me to get her out of there, so I did, I got her out of there," he told her.

"And you're just telling me this now?" She choked and the tears started pouring from her eyes, "He could have died, Lucas and I wouldn't have known."

"Why do you care so much, huh, Brooke?" He questioned, angrily.

"Why do I care so much?" She mimicked and he nodded.

"Yes, Brooke, why do you care so much?" He shouted at her.

_it's not a cry that you hear at night_

_it's not somebody whose seen the light_

_it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah_

"Because I'm in love with him," she screamed back and the whole room fell silent.

Just like before, no one spoke, no one even moved. Before, when they found out that Julian had been shot, it was a shock but it wasn't jaw-droppingly outrageous like what Brooke had just screamed. Her words echoed through everyone ears and her sobs were heartbreaking to watch. Even though they adamantly disapproved of Julian, they hated to see their friend in so much pain and it was clear to anyone who looked at Brooke, that she was in pain.

Lucas looked shocked, heartbroken and angry, very angry. He didn't know what to say or what to do so he just walked away. From Brooke, from the room, from the hospital, he just left.

_it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah_

Brooke watched him leave and if she was honest, she didn't really care, she had much more pressing stuff to deal with, like the fact the Julian had been shot, Peyton had been shot and she had just revealed to all her friends that she was in love with Julian.

She looked away from the doors that Lucas had walked out of and turned back to her friends, who were all staring at her. She went to say something but two doctors walked into the room.

"Anyone here for Julian Baker?" The brunette doctor asked.

"Anyone here for Peyton Sawyer?" The much lighter haired doctor asked.

Brooke looked at them, conflicted and broken.

"We're here for Julian," Sam said and motioned to the other three guys he was stood with.

"And we're here for Peyton," Karen said and signalled for Brooke to join her but Brooke also wanted to know how Julian was.

She paused.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news," she heard the doctor say to Sam.

_hallelujah..._

And then she ran.

* * *

**A/N: **There you go my lovely readers, chapter number eight...enjoy!

- undiscoveredwriter


	9. Broken

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**A/N: **The title of this chapter is the name of a song by Lifehouse.

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

**_Broken_**

_the broken clock is a comfort_

_it helps me sleep tonight_

_maybe it can start tomorrow_

_from stealing all my time_

"We are gathered here today to commemorate the life of Julian Baker," the priest started as he stood at one end of the coffin, the gathering of people on either side of him, "He was a troubled soul, a child who had to over come many issues but he turned into a fine gentlemen."

The gathering wasn't large but it was much bigger than expected.

Julian's closest friends, Sam, Dean, Jake and Carter were in attendance, of course. His mother had turned up, sober and clean, her tear-stained face a picture of a broken women; his father was nowhere in sight. Standing in the middle of his friends stood a sobbing yet strikingly beautiful Brooke Davis, her friends behind her, only coming to the funeral to support their friend. Her sobs were heart-wrenching but as Sam put his arm around her and Jake grabbed her hand, the painful sounds slowly calmed.

"He was misunderstood, hiding behind a wall to protect himself from any more pain and hurt but he let in a select few," he looked over to Brooke and the boys, "His love expanding around those he chose to be his family and he fought to protect that family."

Brooke closed her eyes, remembering his grin, his laugh, his touch, his kiss, his words.

Her calming sobs soon intensified as she pictured him in her head, the memories fading as his body was lowered into the ground, everyone knowing when it hit that bottom by the _thud_ that could be heard.

_and I am here still waiting_

_though I still have my doubts_

_I am damaged at best_

_like you've already figured that out_

"He will forever be remembered as a hero; a warrior whose last mission was to save and he fought until the last breath," he looked down at the coffin, saddened by the loss of such a young man, "Rest in piece, son."

The priest began to walk away, his direction leading to the large church that was situated left to the gathering, people following him as he went. First Brooke's friends, then Julian's friends, leaving Brooke there, standing over his blue coffin; she had told them that it had to be his favourite colour.

Her eyes teared as she, again, remembered the time she had spent with him and in her mind, it wasn't long enough and it wasn't fair. She suddenly became angry at him because if he hadn't went into that school for her, then he would be stood with her, holding her, loving her.

She dropped the white lily flower, that she was holding, on the coffin, whispering a sad "goodbye" as she turned to walk away. Looking up, she was met by the sight of a tall, blonde women; her eyes the exact replicas of Julian's.

"Hi," she said to her, "You must be Julian's mother, I'm Brooke," she introduced herself politely and held her hand out for her to shake.

"You killed him," his mother told her.

"What?" She questioned.

"You killed him," she repeated and Brooke's eyes widened.

"No, no I love him," Brooke told her and his mother shook her head, "I love him," she shouted.

"No, you _killed_ him."

And then, all of a sudden, everyone was surrounding her, chanting the same thing over and over again and as much as she tried to run away, get away from them, she couldn't. The echo of their voices replaying in her mind as they over-shadowed her. They were walking closer and closer to her, cornering her but then, they stopped and started to separated, making a gap in between them; Julian walking through it.

Her eyes widened and she ran up to him but he pushed her to the ground.

"You killed me."

_I'm falling apart_

_I'm barely breathing_

_with a broken heart_

_into that's still beating_

Brooke sat up, awake and covered in a cold sweat. She looked around the room and realised it was all a dream; a horrible, chilling nightmare. She placed her hand on her heart as she panted before running a hand through her hair. Taking a number of deep breaths, she climbed out of bed and walked into her bathroom.

She splashed water over her face, removing the last stray beads of sweat that she hadn't wiped off and then she looked up into the mirror.

The girl staring back at her was not who she wanted to see.

She looked sad and not that sadness you feel when your goldfish dies but a heartbreaking sadness that creeps up on you when you least expect it, a sadness mixed with pain and grief and guilt.

Feeling nauseated, she turned her head before drying her face on the hand towel that sat on the rack to the right of her and then made her way downstairs.

Walking into the kitchen, she continued her travels to the refridgerator and got out a bottle of water. She took a sip of it and as she was about to walk back upstairs, the phone rang.

She froze.

_in the pain_

_there is healing_

_in your name_

_I find healing_

Against what she thought to be her better jugdement, she moved to answer it, lifting it off the hook slowly.

"Hello," she greeted, politely, dreading the response she was going to get.

"Brooke, it's Haley."

"Hey, Hales, what's up?" She asked, trying to fake an enthiusiastic tone but her voice just sounded tired.

"Peyton's awake," she said, avoiding the pleasantries, "She has been for the past five days but you weren't answering your phone."

"Wow, well uhm, that's great," she told her, a feeling of happiness surrounding her at the news that her best friend was okay.

"She's been asking for you..." Haley paused again, "...are you gonna come and see her?" She asked and Brooke felt guilty that she had to be asked.

"I don't know, Hales," she replied and she heard Haley sigh, making her feel even more guilty, "You know what? I'll be there in an hour."

"That's great Brooke...I know she'll be glad to see you."

They exchanged goodbyes and Brooke put the phone down with a sigh. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to wallow in the fact that she had just told Haley that she will go and see Peyton, who was still in the hospital; the one place that she had been avoiding like the plague.

It wasn't that she hadn't wanted to be at Peyton's bedside, it's just that the hospital reminded her of Julian and thinking about him hurt because she felt helpless; there was nothing that she could do and that just added to her pain.

It made her feel useless.

-x-

_so I'm holding on_

_I'm holding on_

_I'm holding on_

_I'm barely holding on to you_

Brooke hated being weak and she knew that, during the time that Peyton had been in the hospital, she had been weak.

Even as she drove to the hospital, the tinge of bravery perceivable in her eyes, she still felt that overwhelming sense of weakness in herself and that made her feel a lot more useless than she was already feeling.

And when she had to fight back the tears and swallow the lump in her throat, she wished, more than anything, that she was doing the right thing.

She arrived at the hospital much quicker than she had expected and instead of going straight in, she waited in the car park, deciding that she had to prepare herself for this; those corridors, the echoes of that day and the fact that she had ran away did _not_ make things any easier.

Pulling her fingers through her hair and taking a deep breath to add to that small amount of bravery, she made her way into the hospital.

As she walked through the doors, that clinical hospital smell hitting her like a ton of bricks, she nearly turned back from the wave of nausea that hit her but then she remembered, she had told Haley she would be there and Haley said that Peyton was asking for her, so there was no way she could turn back.

Making her way through the waiting room, avoiding eye contact with anyone, she went straight to Peyton's room and took a deep breath before pushing the door open, causing everyone to turn and look at her.

"Brooke," Peyton said, excited that her best friend had come to see her.

"Hey," she said softly, smiling tightly and walking over to her.

Lucas stood up so that she could sit down on the chair that was closest to the bed, glaring at her as he did.

"'Bout time you showed up," he muttered under his breath and she returned his glare before turning to look at the curly blonde sat on the bed.

"How you doing, Sawyer?" She asked as she grabbed her hand.

"I'm good," she nodded, "My leg hurts sometimes but they give me these pills," she smiled but Brooke knew it was slightly forced.

"Well that's good, that you're good," she sighed and realised how pathetic that sounded, so she was about to say something but was cut off.

"Brooke can I talk to you outside?" Haley asked and Brooke snapped her head to look at her, a surprised look on her face before stumbling out an answer.

"Uhm ye-yeah, yeah...yeah" she stuttered and she saw Nathan stifle a laugh but he soon turned quiet when she glared at him, as they walked out of the door.

_the broken locks were a warning_

_you got inside my head_

_I tried my best to be guarded_

_I'm an open book instead_

-x-

They walked back into the waiting room, both of them sitting down on the chairs provided. None of them said anything at first, although Brooke could tell that Haley was dying to spit something out but she held back, at first. Brooke played with her hands and made sure that her head was turned away from Haley.

The look of disappointment in her eyes would have been too much.

She heard Haley take a deep breath and she clamped her eyes shut, wishing she was somewhere, anywhere else. Wishing that she hadn't told Haley that she would come to _this_ hospital and wishing that she could just turn back time and make things _right_.

However, she was surprised when she felt something soft touch her hand and when she looked down, she saw that Haley had grabbed her hand with her own. She looked up into her eyes and was even more surprised when she saw that there wasn't any disappointment, only sympathy and sadness.

"I'm worried about you," she admitted, a small frown a fixture on her face.

"You don't need to be, Hales, I'm fine," Brooke reasurred her but it was something in her tone that Haley didn't believe, or maybe it was when Brooke said 'I'm fine' and shifted her eyes to other side of the room that Haley decided she wasn't telling the truth.

"And you don't need to lie to me Brooke," she sighed, "I know this must be hard with you, what with Julian be-"

"Don't, okay?" Brooke hissed, "Just...don't," she repeated, her tone much softer the second time.

"It's been a whole week and I know that it's hard but sometime..." she paused, "...sometime you're gonna have to face this," she continued in a motherly tone and Brooke had to bite her lip to stop herself from crying.

"I've been having these nightmares," she revealed and looked at Haley with saddened eyes, "It's the same one every time...I'm at Julian's funeral," she choked and then took a deep breath, "and then his mother is saying 'you killed him, you killed him' and then everyone is saying it until Julian walks through the crowd and he's says it, too."

"Oh, Brooke, sweetie, is that why you haven't been coming to the hospital?" she asked gently.

"Yeah," she whispered, nodding her head as she did, "I just...it hurts, Haley and I don't know what to do."

"Brooke," Haley said, sadly and pulled her into a hug.

As Haley pulled her into a hug, Brooke leaned into her and started to cry. Her tears soaking through Haley's shirt but the blonder friend didn't care at that moment. She was just glad that Brooke was opening in some way, knowing that her friend had been closed of and sat in her house, by herself, for the past week.

After a while, Brooke's cries faded into sniffles and her water fall-like tears turned into more crocodile-like tears. She lifted her head up, a look of gratefulness in her eyes and smiled at Haley.

Being the loving friend she is, Haley smiled back.

"Thank you," Brooke said, smiling at her again.

"No problemo," Haley said back, lightening the mood a bit but then she got serious, "I'm here, okay? If you need anything, I'm always here," she told her.

Brooke was about to tell Haley how thankful she was when she heard a male voice calling her name.

"Brooke!"

She stopped; didn't even move a muscle.

And then she felt their presence right beside her and when they laid a hand on her shoulder, she had no choice but to look and see who it was. She craned her neck and she didn't know whether to laugh or cry at who she saw.

_and I still see your reflection_

_inside of my eyes_

_that are looking for purpose_

_they're still looking for lfe_

Sam.

The tall, long-haired brunette that was nothing short of a good guy; and one of Julian's best friend's.

"Sam," she said, hesitantly, "How are you?" She asked, kindly, hoping he wouldn't be angry with her.

"Where have you been, Brooke?" He asked back harshly, ignoring her question.

Her hopes were useless.

"I've uhm, I've been..." she trailed off, not knowing what to say and visibly flinched when she saw his cold look.

"You should have been here...Julian needed you," he spat, "Hell, even Peyton needed you but you were too _selfish_ to even be here," he continued, not caring that he was upsetting her.

"Hey," Haley warned but Brooke looked at her reassuringly, silently telling her that she was okay.

"It was too hard," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Too hard?" He laughed harshly, "Too hard? That's your excuse...too hard, Brooke?" He half-yelled, waving his hands frantically.

"Yes, okay, it was too hard," she shouted and took a deep breath before continuing, "It was too hard because I knew it was my fault," she told them and they looked at her shocked.

"Your fault?" Sam questioned, his voice sounding surprised and even Haley looked expectant, as if she was waiting for the answer.

"Yeah," she confirmed before standing up and crossing her arms, looking guarded, "I know that he went into that school because of me and now...now," she explained but couldn't finish her sentence because she started to cry, again.

"Brooke, it's not your fault...yeah, he went into that school but you didn't force him nor did you even ask him," Sam told her, "It's not you fault," he whispered as he pulled her into a hug.

"He's right," Haley agreed and rubbed her back, "You didn't start this and you couldn't have stopped it."

"Come on," Sam said, leading her down the corridor, "I wanna take you somewhere."

"Where?" Brooke questioned, her eyes wide, looking like an afraid child.

"You'll see," he told her before looking back at Haley, "She'll be fine."

Haley nodded, smiling a little smile.

_I'm falling apart_

_I'm barely breathing_

_with a broken heart_

_that's barely beating_

-x-

_in the pain_

_is there healing?_

_in your name_

_I find meaning_

She had no idea where Sam was taking her but she knew it was somewhere in the hospital.

They had been walking around for what felt like forever and when they turned onto another corridor, she was almost certain that they were going around in circles.

All she wanted to do was go home, down a large bottle of vodka, fall onto her bed and let a deep slumber take over her for the next few days but Haley, and Sam, had other ideas and she was, in her eyes, forced to come to the last place she had wanted to be at and she was walking, wandering even, not knowing where she was going to end up.

_Oh, the irony, _she thought bitterly.

She sighed, heavily but never-the-less, she continued to follow Sam.

"Are you gonna tell me where we are going or not?" She asked, briskly, mere moments after sighing.

"Impatient, aren't we?" He said, chuckling when he saw her pout, "Don't worry, we're nearly there."

"Nearly whe-"

She stopped, froze, when they stopped outside a door on the corridor they had just been walking down and as they stood in front of it and uneasy feeling came over her, one that grew into panic and guilt when she looked at the clipboard hanging beside the door, the name practically screaming at her.

Julian Baker.

She bit her lip, trying to prevent another out pour of tears because despite all the crying she had been doing, she had not got used to it and she doubted she will ever get used to it.

Looking up at Sam, almost glaring at him, she realised he had a small smile on his face and she frowned and turned to walk away but was stopped when she felt him grab her arm. He gently pulled her back to the door, opening the wooden-framed component and motioning for her to enter.

_No, _she mouthed and he nodded his head, encouraging her to go in.

She hadn't even looked in yet but somehow, she knew that she had to do this, even if it was the last thing she wanted to do.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and made her way through the door, mentally preparing herself for what she was about to see and as she raised her eyes and saw his body, lying there, she had to choke back a sob.

She hadn't moved from the door yet.

_I'm holding on_

_I'm holding on_

_I'm holding on_

_I'm barely holding on to you_

He looked like he was sleeping.

She didn't know if that made it easier or harder but he just looked like he was sleeping.

With his head propped up on the pillow and his arms on either side of him, his body unmoving, no trace of cuts or bruises or blood and not even the hint of a gunshot wound, he just looked like he was sleeping. His soulful eyes were covered by his eyelids and all she wanted him to do was open them and look deep into her eyes. Tell her, in that rough voice, that everything was okay and that everything was going to be okay and then give her one of his beautiful grins.

All she wanted to see was his grin.

And then she broke down.

She practically ran to his bed side, grabbed his hand and just started crying, whispering the same thing over and over again.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry."

She just kept saying it, hoping it would do some good.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

She looked down.

"What are you sorry for?"

The voice was croaky and hoarse but nothing short of perfect and as soon as she heard the first word, her head shot up, her eyes meeting hers; sparkling green meeting soulful brown for the first time in seven days, for the first time in one whole week.

And to Brooke, it had never been a longer week.

She shot out of the chair, practically jumping on him and started to plant kisses all over his face and he started laughing, a sound she had missed so much that she could not stop the wide smile that spread across her face and before he had chance to say anything else, she leaned in a placed a soft, kiss on his lips.

They never said anything after that, Julian just moved over in the bed, making room for her and she climbed in beside him, careful of his injury, of course. She cuddled into his chest, his warm skin feeling like a missing luxury; a feeling she had missed and craved but had returned to her and she was forever grateful.

"How long have you been awake for?" She asked, scared for his answer, hoping that she hadn't been wallowing for the past week over nothing.

"A few hours," he answered her, "Doc said I can go home tomorrow, you wanna be my nurse?" He asked playfully but he saw that her face was still serious.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here...I'm sorry I haven't been here," she told him, her truthful answer making him smile.

"Are you here now?" He asked and she looked up at him, nodding her head a little, "Well, that's all that matters, that you're here now," he said, grinning and she couldn't help but smile back.

"Yeah," she whispered and the sound of agreement was audible in her voice.

_I'm hanging on another day_

_just to see what you will through my way_

_and I'm hanging on to the words you say_

_you said that I will be okay_

"Hey," he said and she looked up at him, "What's wrong?" He asked, his voice soft.

"I just..." she took a deep breath, "...I just feel like it was my fault, that you wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me," she told him and he looked at her with wide eyes.

"Brooke," he started, shifting his weight a little so that he could look into her eyes, "It's not your fault, okay? You didn't know there was going to be a gun inside and you sure as hell didn't tell me to go into that school, I chose to, so don't blame yourself okay? Because I don't blame you and neither does anybody else," he reassured her.

She stayed silent after that, not really knowing how to respond and then, as if someone had hit play, the nightmares started playing in her, like a slide-show movie and he saw that something was wrong with her when her eyes started to tear up.

He frowned.

"I thought you were going to die," she told him and he just smiled softly.

"And leave you? Never," he said, shaking his head.

"I guess not," she stated playfully and then they fell into a silence.

Neither saying anything for a moment, merely content with being in each others presence.

"So Sam said that Peyton is in hospital, too, I'm sorry about that," he said, after a few minutes, his face holding a small frown, "How are you feeling?" He asked, considerately.

"You're lying in hospital from being shot and you're asking me how _I_ feel?" She shook her head, looking perplexed and he looked at her confused, "You're just too nice."

"Too nice? Usually it's 'you're a huge jerk', now I'm not complaining about huge," he smirked, "but a jerk? That's a little harsh," he joked, trying to lighten the mood.

He smiled in satisfaction when he heard her giggle.

"Well I'm not complaining about huge either," she whispered, huskily and leaned her head in to his, their lips meeting in a searing kiss.

_broken lights on the freeway_

_left me here alone_

_I may have lost my way now_

_I haven't forgotten my way home_

-x-

_I'm falling apart_

_I'm barely breathing_

_with a broken heart_

_that's still beating_

"Where's Brooke gone?" Peyton asked, and had been asking since Brooke had left with Haley, and then Sam.

"Honey, I'm sure she's just finding all this a little hard, what with Julian being in a coma and everything," Haley reassured her.

"Oh, yeah, she visits _Julian_ though," Lucas muttered coldly, gaining the attention of the others in the room.

"What's wrong with her visiting Julian, Lucas?" Nathan asked, pissed off with the new attitude he had developed.

"I mean, her best friend is lying in a hospital bed after nearly _dying_," he spat and they flinched, "and yet she's off, gallivanting with the local trailer trash, if you ask me, that's a little..." he trailed off, pausing for a second to think of a word, "...slutty," he finished and everyone glared at him, knowing that he was just acting out because he was hurt.

Because his ego was bruised.

"Yeah, well no one asked you," said a voice from the doorway, everyone knowing who it was by the evident rasp that came with the words.

"Oh great, she's come back," he muttered and looked up at her, "Got what you wanted, did you?" he asked, harshly but Brooke just glared at him and walked straight past.

Not giving him a second glance.

"Hey," she said softly as she reached Peyton's bedside, "Sorry I was gone, I just had something I needed to do."

"Or someone," Lucas muttered under his breath, hoping no one heard him but with the glare Nathan gave him, he knew he had been caught.

Brooke heard, too but she just smiled softly at Peyton, who nodded her head, understanding.

"How is he?" Peyton asked, smiling a little when she saw Brooke's eyes light up.

"He woke up," she told her, a wide smile on her face.

"Really?" Peyton asked, happy for her friend and Brooke nodded, excitedly, "That's great, Brooke," she continued, holding her arms out for a hug and Brooke gladly leaned in and embraced her friend.

Everyone smiled at the sight.

Everyone except one.

_in the pain_

_there is heaing_

_in your name_

_I find meaning_

"Woah, woah, woah" Lucas said, everyone looking at him, "Peyton was in surgery when you told everyone you were in love with," he swallowed, "Julian...so how does she even know?" He questioned and as everyone thought about it, he was right, so the questioned remained and everyone wanted to know the answer.

How did Peyton know?

"Well, uhm...I know because..." she trailed off, looking at Brooke for help, who just looked guilty.

"Oh my god," Lucas whispered, realisation hitting him.

"Lucas," Brooke said softly and moved towards him, reaching out to comfort him.

"Don't," he spat and moved away from her.

"You cheated on him?" Haley asked, frowning a little because, even though Brooke was her friend, Lucas was her best friend and that still meant something to her.

"No, I didn't cheat, I didn't, I swear," she told them but the words left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Have you slept with him?" Lucas asked, not wanting to know the answer but needing to know.

"Lucas," Brooke said, silently protesting.

"Answer the question, Brooke," he demanded, glaring at her.

"Yes," she softly, looking down as she did.

"When?" He asked and he saw her shake her head, "When?" He repeated, his voice breaking slightly.

"The day of the shooting," she answered quietly, no one really hearing her.

"When?" Lucas asked, again, wanting her to admit what she had done.

"The day of the shooting," she said, louder the second time and everyone's eyes widened with shock.

"So while we were fearing for our lives, you were having a good 'ole, rough time, not really caring," Lucas hissed at her and she noticeably flinched at his words.

"It wasn't like that," she told them.

"So then what was it like Brooke?" Nathan asked and everyone looked at him, disgusted and he realised what he said, "I mean how did she end up in his bed," he explained.

They all nodded, Haley especially thankful that her husband wasn't a pervert.

Brooke took a deep breath.

_so I'm holding on_

_I'm holding on_

_I'm holding on_

_I'm barely holding on to you_

"I was at the old gym and I was outside crying when he found me," she bit her lip before continuing, "He took me to his house and he was just so nice and...and then you know the rest," she told them.

"So a guy says a few nice words to you and you jump into their bed?" Lucas questioned harshly.

"You wouldn't understand," Brooke spat, glaring at him.

"You got that right," he muttered and sat back down.

They all sat in silence, digesting the new information and they were all sure that by the time this had blown over, which would be a long time coming, that their mind would be full to the brim with _new _information.

There was definite tension in the air, tension that only grew when the door opened and Sam wheeled Julian in.

"Brooke," he said and she looked over to him, shocked that he was there.

Lucas looked pissed.

Things were about to get nasty.

_so I'm holding on_

_I'm holding on_

_I'm holding on_

_I'm barely holding on to you_

* * *

**A/N:** There you go people, chapter nine and I hope you all enjoy it. It's a little less dramatic than the others but still, hope you like it.

- undiscoveredwriter


	10. Found You

**Disclaimer:**I own nothing.

**A/N: **The title of this chapter is the name of a song by Ross Copperman.

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

**_Found You_**

_well I saw you there  
__  
just the other day_

_you smiled at me_

_in a secret way_

The room was silent.

No one spoke because no one dared to speak and they felt if they did, they may regret their words.

So, it stayed silent, almost annoyingly silent.

It was clear of the emotions that everyone was feeling because it was written all over their faces: Brooke and Julian were both happy and guilty, for obvious reasons although Julian was more wary than guilty. Lucas was pissed, the anger visible in his eyes. Haley and Nathan were confused, despite the information they had received, it was still very vague and they didn't have the whole story. Peyton was neutral; not really knowing what to feel.

Although the pain in her leg was a bitch.

Everyone could see that Lucas dying to get something off his chest; his face was screaming at them all but for some reason, he didn't say a word. He was constantly biting his lip and clenching his fists, even flaring his nostrils every now and then; his jaw was permanently clenched and at one point, Haley was sure she felt him shaking but still, no words were said.

In fact, and to everyones surprise, it was Mouth, who had been sat in the corner, trying to mind his own business, who was the one that said something first.

"So this is really boring, and annoying," he stated, everyone looking at him shocked, and slightly relieved.

"You're right about that," Nathan muttered and Haley subtly nudged him.

"Well I think _two_ people, in particular, aren't really wanted here," Lucas spat, looking at Julian and Sam before turning to Brooke, "Make that three."

"I don't even know why you're so mad," she said to him, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, you're right, my girlfriend falling in love with some other guy is _exactly _what I wanted to happen," he said, sarcastically, matching her glare.

"You can't help who you fall in love with, right Lucas?" Julian said, standing up and walking to stand beside Brooke.

_so I let you in_

_and you captured me_

_I'm your prisoner_

_thats what I wanna be_

"Julian," Brooke said, pleading with him not to start anything.

"Ahh the local hero talks," Lucas stated, his sarcasm returning, "How was deaths door?" He asked, smirking.

Everyone stared at him incredulously, not believing he could be so heartless.

"You're about to find out if you don't shut up," Julian said, angrily.

"I think everyone needs to calm down," Haley said, trying to control the situation.

"Neither of you can see why I'm mad?" Lucas asked, ignoring Haley's admission.

"It was just a kiss, dude, we didn't sleep with each other until you were broken up," Julian told them, not realising what he had just done.

Brooke closed her eyes, already knowing she shouldn't have lied but she couldn't take it back now.

Everyone paused, hoping they heard wrong.

"What?" Lucas choked, his voice barely there before turning to Brooke, "You said you didn't cheat...you said you didn't cheat and you promised," he shouted, his anger rushing back to him.

"Is it true, Brooke? Did you cheat on Lucas?" Peyton asked, speaking for the first time since Julian and Sam entered the room.

"I..." she took a deep breath, "Look I-"

"I don't mean rehash the past but don't even go there, okay?" Julian warned, directing his words to Lucas and Peyton.

"What do you mean by that?" Peyton questioned, offended by what he had said.

"I think you know what I mean," he spat and Peyton recoiled, causing Lucas to jump in.

"Yeah, we cheated but we _admitted _to it, something she," he motioned to Brooke, "didn't do."

"Getting caught and admitting to something are two completely different things," Julian said harshly, "And I know for a fine fact, that you didn't _admit_ to anything," he continued, his tone just as harsh.

The room fell silent, again and Brooke silently pleaded with them all; coming out like a fool when they all ignored her looks of guilt and apology.

Julian noticed this and looked at her sadly.

"Come on," he said softly and guided her out the room.

He turned back to glare at them all.

_When it feels like its love_

_All the stars lift you up_

_Well I'll place you high above_

_on top of the world_

_I'm just glad that I found you_

-x-

_Like a thief you came_

_to steal my heart_

_I'll surrender now_

_Cause you broke my guard_

**Two Weeks Later**

Things had definitely changed in Tree Hill.

The seasons were changing, the crisp, cool air turning much more bitter as winter loomed but the weather was not the only thing that changed.

Brooke and Julian were now an official couple.

After the much anticipated 'talk', they realised their feelings were strong and mutual and both had decided to embark on an actual relationship. Things had seemed weird at first but as the days, and eventually weeks, slowly progressed, everything became natural and easy but they were never short of giving each other surprises and that kept their relationship from becoming another dull, burnt out flame.

Neither of them had said 'I love you' yet, both of them waiting for the other to start the conversation.

They knew they had a few issues to discuss and they were still getting to know each other but they were happy and that's what mattered.

Julian proved to be a decent boyfriend, taking her out of dates and telling her she looked beautiful but there was one thing that seemed to bug her; he was known for his 'reputation' in town and everyone was hell bent on giving him grief, just like he had done to them, and that 'grief' was telling Brooke that she could do so much better than Julian _f-ing _Baker.

She simply ignored all of them.

However, even her friends seemed to agree with the residents of the town.

After the encounter at the hospital, things had been little frosty between them and it seemed she had to split her schedule fairly, giving both Julian and her friends the same amount of time but never spending any of it with them all together.

And Julian did _not_like sharing.

Call him selfish but he just wanted to spend as much time with her as possible and he told her that she could hang out with her friends all day, at school, to which she had asked him why he didn't enroll at Tree Hill High.

He just changed the subject.

She still hadn't spoke to Lucas, only saying one or two words to each other, merely needing to, rather than wanting to; Peyton had yet to approach her so she took that as a sign that she didn't want to have a conversation.

So, it was nearing Christmas and Brooke hoped that the festive season could bring her and her friends close again.

She could _only_ hope.

-x-

_Such a pretty face_

_It warms my soul_

_And you sweet blue eyes_

_they shine like gold_

"Brooke," Julian called, his voice ringing through her house, "Brooke," he repeated, his voice a little louder.

Hearing his calls, she walked out of the kitchen, holding a water bottle in her hand and her school bag over her shoulder.

"I'm here, I'm here...and I'm ready," she said, smirking, knowing he was expecting her to be late, _again_.

For the past two weeks, Julian had been going to Brooke's every morning and taking her to school. She was really grateful for a number of reasons: one, she didn't have to pay for gas which bumped up her shopping budget and two, she got to spend some extra time with him and even though it was only ten, maybe twenty minutes in the morning, she was still very grateful.

Her friends seemed a little apprehensive at first, when they had seen Brooke climbing out of Julian's car but now, she was sure they were used to it and even if they weren't, they would have to grow used to it because what they couldn't seem to grasp was that Julian was a big part of her life and that wouldn't be changing any time soon.

However, despite Julian telling her to be ready for 7.30 because he started work at 8, she always seemed to be running late.

Stevie was pissed when he was late the first time but when he explained the reasons and told him it was because of a girl, Stevie had just chuckled and ordered him to get to work.

"Well, well, I am surprised," he said, grinning.

"I thought you would be," she stated and gave him a peck on the lips.

She smiled at him, dimples showing and everything as they made their way to his car.

Mornings were always something to look forward to now.

_When it feels like its love_

_All the stars lift you up_

_Well I'll place you high above_

_on top of the world_

Julian always drove carefully when he had Brooke in the car with him.

He didn't know if it was a subconscious thing or not, making sure that no harm ever came to her in the slightest way but whenever Brooke was in the car, he drove like an old pensioner.

She had laughed at him the first time, telling him that she wasn't the only reason they were always late and that it isn't a crime to change the speed from 30mph to 45mph but he had just glared at her and told her that it was his car and he drove how he liked.

So, as they drove into the school's parking lot, Julian parking as close to her friends as possible but then again, still keeping his distance, she took the moment to mock him.

"You got 15 minutes to get to work, drove on the wild side today, didn't you, babe?" She said, trying to hide her smirk.

"Haha, funny," he said, dryly, pouting a little.

"Aww, is baby upset?" She mocked, again and he glared at her, "Does baby wanna a kiss?" She asked and leaned into him, seductively.

He swallowed, nervously.

"He wouldn't mind a kiss," he said and grinned.

She smiled before leaning in completely and placed a long, passionate kiss on his lips and as she went to pull away, he pulled her back and deepened it, slipping his tongue into her mouth. She moaned quietly and she could feel him smirk against her lips.

Feeling like he had the upper hand, she pulled back slightly and gently nibbled on his lower lip, smirking when she saw him close his eyes and just when she was about to pull away, she leaned in again and kissed him like she had never kissed him before.

She pulled back, grinning and when he opened his eyes, he realised he had just been played and he shook his head a little, grinning back at her.

"You're good," he told her, placing a small kiss on her lips.

"I'm the best," she rebutted, smirking again.

He could only nod, knowing it was true.

"I'll pick you up from school if you want," he suggested and she looked confused, "I'm getting out of work early, got a weekly check up at the hospital," he told her upon seeing her look.

"Okay, I'll see you then," she told him, slightly worried; she hoped he was okay.

"You staying at mine tonight?" He asked, hopefully.

"Yep," she kissed him, "Your place tonight," she confirmed.

And then she climbed out of the car.

_And you know it must be right_

_Cause its burning up inside_

_I can feel it in your eyes_

_I want you to know_

_I'm just glad that I found you_

She made her way to where her friends were, turning back to wave Julian off as she did.

As she reached the table, people greeted her before going back to the conversations they were just having, not really saying anything about the heated encounter they had just witnessed going on in Julian's car. Not really saying anything to her at all but she listened in to the different conversations, dropping her own comments when she felt they were needed or when she felt that she wanted to put her point across.

When she did that, she never missed that glares that Lucas gave her but she was used to them by now.

However, today Lucas seemed a little more 'angry' then he usually was and whereas before, when he would just silence her or look at her with a glare, today he decided to take a more verbal approach at insulting her; something she wished he would just keep to himself.

"So, _Brooke_, how's Julian?" He asked coldly, spitting Brooke's name as he said it.

"He's great," she told him, not stooping down to his level.

"I'll bet he's great, I mean anyone would be great with you dry-humping them in the morning," he said harshly.

Everyone held their breath.

Nathan felt the need to glare at Lucas, not liking his new approach to things and Haley looked like she was going to freak out because she didn't want to have to handle another arguement between these two, knowing that it never ended well.

"I'm not doing this with you, Lucas," she said to him, turning her head away.

"Doing what? We're just having a conversation," he said, innocently and she turned her head back to glare at him.

"It's been two weeks, Lucas, get over it," she spat, not caring if she was being insensitive because he was acting like a real jerk.

"Oh like you got over it?" He said back, glaring at her.

She stayed silent and he knew he had hit a nerve.

"Brooke," Mouth said and she looked up at him smiling.

He motioned for her to look behind her and when everyone at the table saw this, they all looked and they all saw Julian approaching them. Brooke looked shocked wondering what he was doing because he always liked to keep his distance from her friends, stating that they didn't like him so there was really nothing he could do but stay away.

Never the less, he was there, walking up to their table.

Lucas looked angry; everyone was used to that facial expression now though.

It was actually kind of annoying.

Brooke stood up and met Julian as he was about to reach their table. She gave him a confused look and he lifted up his hand, revealing a small notebook, one that she needed for school. Giving him a small smile, she took the book from his hand and leaned up to kiss him. They pulled apart and he rested his forehead against hers, rubbing her nose gently.

"Thank you," she whispered and for some reason, both of them knew she didn't mean because he brought her notebook to her.

"Your welcome," he grinned and kissed her again.

She pulled away from him and saw him look over her shoulder to where her friends were saw and she didn't even have to look back to notice they were looking at them. The look on Julian's face was enough to tell her that and to calm him, she put her hands on either side of his face and made him look into her eyes.

"Ignore it," she told him, sternly.

"I gotta get to work," he said and pulled away from her but not before placing a soft kiss on her lips, "I'll see you later."

"Yeah," she whispered as he walked away.

Was he mad at her?

She frowned before walking back over to the table, all their eyes still on her as she sat down. She looked deep in thought as she placed the notebook he gave her into her bag and everyone noticed this but Haley was the only one who said something.

"You okay?" She asked, her voice holding the motherly tone that made anyone feel safe.

"Yeah, I'm fine, why?" She asked back, wondering what gave her the impression that she wasn't okay.

"No reason, you just seem a little down in the dumps, you sure you're okay?" She questioned again but Brooke didn't get chance to answer.

Her phone rang.

She pulled it out of her bag, not looking at the caller ID and answered it.

"Hello," she greeted.

_"Hey, it's me, Julian," he told her._

"Oh, hi...what's up?" She asked nonchalantly, looking up at her friends before standing up and going to a more private spot; just under one of the oak trees that was sitting in the quad.

_"I can't talk much 'cause I just got into work but I'm not mad at you," he explained._

"Oh okay, I mean I didn't think you were but okay," she rambled, swallowing nervously.

_"I know you and I saw your face but I wasn't mad at you, I was just pissed at your friends," he said gently, smiling a little._

"Okay," she whispered, glad that he wasn't mad at her.

_"I'll see you later then, okay?"_

"Bye," she siad quietly as they both put the phones down.

She walked back to her table, a journey she had taken seemingly more time than enough and smiled to all of friends.

She was happy that he wasn't angry at her.

She hated it when he was.

_when it feels like it's love_

_all the stars lift you up_

_well I'll place you high above_

_on top of the world_

-x-

_and you know it must be right_

_cause it's burning up inside_

_I can feel it in your eyes_

_I want you to know_

The hadn't been very eventful, much to Brooke's surprise.

Usually she was dealing with all kinds of issues at nearly every hour of the day but for some reason, today had been different. Apart from Lucas's little hissy fit at the beginning of the day, nothing much had really happened. However, she did think that Julian was mad at her but he had soon squashed her fears when calling her mere minutes after he had departed.

She was elated that he knew her so well.

Everything was seemingly going well in her life and for that, she was extremely grateful.

But she knew that somewhere down the road, whether the time be the next day or next month, something would jolt that happiness.

It was just her luck.

_When It feels like its love_

_All the stars they lift you up_

_Well I'll place you high above_

_On top of the world_

* * *

**A/N:** So this chapter is kind of short and it isn't an actual chapter, well it is but it's more of a filler, telling you certain information like the time of year and Brooke's friends reactions. I have actually been having some trouble writing the chapters but hopefully the next one will be better. I still hope you enjoy this one.

- undiscoveredwriter


	11. Don't Speak Liar

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**A/N: **The title of this chapter is the name of a song by We The Kings.

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

**_Don't Speak Liar_**

Paradise?

It was a strange word.

The dictionary describes it as a place of extreme beauty, delight, or happiness or a state of supreme happiness, essentially bliss.

The dictionary, however, doesn't say anything about it not lasting; that's a loop hole that kind of creates a problem.

It doesn't say anything about how when that state of happiness comes to you, then it can most certainly walk away from you. It doesn't tell you that you can be wrapped up in something so mind-blowing that when the issue or even issues arise, they seem to creep upon you, without any warning and everything changes.

Someone should have put that in the dictionary.

-x-

Brooke had been staying at Julian's place for the past few days.

There wasn't any problem with her house, she just loved the home-y, comfortable feeling that his house had. Her house was just that, a house. It didn't have that feel about that makes you smile when you get home because everything it so familiar and warm and amazing. Even with his friends coming around often, their voices loud and bellowing, it just made it that much more homely and when they would all sit down at the dining table, eating dinner and he'd grin _that _grin, she couldn't help but feel like she was where she belonged.

His friends were very welcoming to the new addition to their small, tightly knitted group. Even Dean, who had shown her a lot of hostility when they were first seen together but once he had seen that she was important to Julian, he seemed to welcome her, albeit apprehensively, with open arms.

Sam seemed to be the most welcoming and despite Julian's envy showing through a couple of times, Sam had just chuckled at him, telling him that they had bonded a little during the whole school shooting-waiting in the hospital-not knowing if he was going to live ordeal and then Julian started chuckling with him.

So, Brooke sat on the the kitchen worktop, wearing Julian's button down shirt and watched him move around the kitchen, making breakfast; both of them waiting for the guys to come barging in.

"So you're quite good in the kitchen," she complimented, smiling.

He turned to her, grinning and walked over to her, placing a small kiss her on lips.

"Well that's not the only room I'm good in," he smirked, kissing her again.

"Cocky, too?" she mumbled against his lips before pulling back, "Why, I am a lucky girl," she said sarcastically.

"Yes, you are," he smirked again and went back to the pancakes that were cooking on the stove.

"A little _too_ cocky," she said, quirking her eyebrow.

He turned to grin at her but that changed when it looked like he was thinking of something and frowned slightly.

"Besides, I've kind of had to learn to fend for myself," he said, sadly.

As she looked at him sympathetically, he turned back to the stove.

She jumped off the counter, deciding to help him and began to set the table. She moved around the kitchen as he did, both content in their tasks at hand, neither of them ever clashing; it was like poetry, each of them moving in perfect sync with each other.

Both of them looking perfect with each other.

He plated up the food and moved towards the kitchen table, placing the freshly cooked pancakes down and taking a seat. She walked over from the sink and took a seat on his lap, causing him to grin up to her. He wrapped one arm around her waist, the other putting his fork into a piece of pancake and lifting it to her mouth. She took the food without hesitation and then moved her lips down to his.

"Delicious," she said, never taking her lips of his.

"Very," he commented before pulling back and placing some food into his own mouth.

He moved his hand down from her waist onto her bare leg, his other hand still feeding them both. She raised her eyebrow and looked down to his hand before looking back up, causing him to shrug innocently.

She shook her head and motioned for him to put some more pancake in her mouth.

"So, what are you doing today? School?" He asked, stabbing his fork into another piece of food.

"Yep, another school day," she answered, sighing once she ate what was in her mouth.

"Don't sound so glum, schools fun," he said, faking his enthusiasm; his hand still gently stroking her leg.

"It's just..." she trailed off and he frowned, "...I'm sick of them judging me...judging us," she continued.

He took a deep breath, clearly annoyed but he seemed to channel his anger, clenching his jaw and breathing deeply. He looked away from her, causing her to frown and closed his eyes tightly before turning his head back to her but once he caught sight of her facial expression, he looked down .

She bit her lip, stopping herself from saying something but she did, however, put her hands on either side of his face, giving him no choice but to look at her. Seeing the confused yet saddened look on her face, he clenched his jaw and then swallowed.

"I thought they were your friends," he muttered coldly.

"They...I...what...I don't understand," she stumbled out a response, looking at his confused.

"They're your friends but they can't be happy for you," he paused, looking her in the eye, "_That's_ something I don't understand._"_

She stroked his face, her hands running over his stubble but she never said anything, she didn't know how to respond to it because he was right. They were her _friends _so they should be happy because she was happy but somehow they were hell bent on telling her that he was nothing special or that she could do so much better. Every time they said something like that, she either bit back with an insult that would make the strongest of men run to their mom's or she would simply take the high road and ignore them.

She decided that changing the subject might be the best option.

"So, seeing as I'm not too fond of school, I'll skip and we can hang out all day," she suggested, lowering her lips, "Maybe in your bedroom, _all day_," she continued, placing a long, soft kiss on his lips.

He groaned and against his utmost desire, he shook his head.

"I can't," he declined regretfully.

"You can't?" She questioned, shocked.

"Nope, sorry," he told her and went back to eating his food.

She looked at him shocked and confused.

"What? No explanation?" She half-yelled and he shrugged his shoulders.

She didn't get chance to say anything else because what they had basically been waiting for, happened.

Four loud and bellowing boys walked through the door.

-x-

Brooke wandered down the corridor, her face holding a sad expression.

It was Thursday and just like every other Thursday, during the weeks they had been dating, Julian would always say that he could never do anything because he had somewhere to go and he would never tell her where. Usually, it was because they were always interrupted but regardless, she would always ask and receive either a cold shoulder or some pathetic attempt at an apology for not being able to spend time with her.

She knew, or so she thought she knew, that it was always for the night because he would usually stop by her house or she would usually be at his house but she never stayed at his house on Thursday and he never stopped by her house. She knew that she should trust him and not think anything bad but with his lame answers to her questions and him actually disappearing on the night, she couldn't help but feel a nagging in her mind, telling her that something wasn't right.

However, she chose not to say anything and continued to believe that her boyfriend didn't go AWOL every Thursday.

The bell rang for lunch and as the hallways became crowded with hordes of students, she arrived at her locker, opening it to put her books away. She placed them inside and just when she was about to close it, she saw something sticking out of one of the books that was already in there.

She frowned before pulling it out and looking at it.

"Hey," a voice said from beside her and she jumped, surprised by the sudden voice.

She turned to see who it was and smiled softly at the small blonde.

"Hey," she said back solemnly.

"What've you got there?" Haley asked, motioning to the piece of paper in her hand.

"It's just a picture of me and Julian," she told her before placing the picture back into the book, "I think I might burn it," she muttered, closing her locker.

"Trouble in paradise?" Haley questioned, jokingly but was silenced by the look Brooke gave her.

Brooke started walking away and Haley frowned before catching up with her. She placed a hand on Brooke's shoulder but Brooke didn't stop so she just continued to walk with her. They reached the quad and made their way to an empty table.

Lately Haley had been worried about Brooke and not because she was with the 'bad boy' of Tree Hill but because she had been really distant with her and spending all her time with Julian and his friends. She didn't dislike Julian, she was just feeling jealous because she considered Brooke to be one of her closest friends and as of lately, she felt that her and Brooke's relationship was strained. She didn't know Julian so she couldn't judge him but from what she had heard around town, she felt that she couldn't trust him.

Maybe that was one of the reasons Brooke was so distant.

When they reached the table, they sat down and Brooke placed her head in her hands.

"So what's wrong?" Haley asked, apprehensively.

"Okay," she said, taking a deep breath, "The week starts and everything is okay and then roll around Thursday and he's like some...some...some person that just disappears, I mean what is with that?" she ranted and Haley looked at her with wide eyes, "What?"

"Look," Haley started, grabbing her hands, "and I say this as a completely impartial person in this situation but it looks like you're gonna have to talk to him," she told her.

"Ugh, you suck...I hate talking," Brooke said, taking a drink of her soda.

"You do?" Haley questioned, faking shock.

She stole one of Haley's potato chips before muttering:

"I don't see why we can't just skip to the make-up sex."

-x-

As Brooke drove down his road, she knew what she was doing was wrong.

If anything, she should have asked him first but their was that feeling in the pit of her stomach and she knew that if she went to talk to him, she would just freeze up and forget what she was going to say. Even as she saw him revving his motorcycle before taking off down the road, she didn't stop her car nor did she even turn around.

She followed him.

It seemed like that when she wasn't in the car or on the bike, he liked to drive like a raving mad man and normally, she would have nothing against that but when she's trying to follow him, it kind of causes some problems for her. Fortunately, she had lived through a phase were driving wildly was kind of an 'in' thing so there wasn't that much trouble keeping up with him, although a slower pace would have been nice.

She had absolutely no idea where he was going and as she moved behind him through the streets, she was sure that she had never even set foot in this part of Tree Hill.

It was a cosy neighbourhood; small yet beautiful houses, ones that a small family, who are financially stable yet have that little extra money, would live in. There were plenty of trees and the streets were calm and uncrowded. They even passed a small park were she had seen a number of children playing and despite her registering all of this, one question remained unanswered.

What was he doing here?

As the question remained in her mind, still unanswered, she had also noticed that he seemed to be driving slower, something making him seem to want to drive slower in this part of town and as she followed him around another corner, she saw him park up in front of a small, cottage-like house.

The place was beautiful, no one could deny that, with it's immaculate creme paint job, the white picket fence that ran around the area and the porch that only came about three foot from the door but had enough room to have a rocking chair and a swinging hammock, both white in colour.

She had to smile because the building gave her a serene feeling.

Her mind soon became other wise occupied when she saw him ascend the porch steps up to the front door, where he knocked and waited patiently. She could see that he was nervous by the way he rocked back and forth on his feet but what she hadn't bargained on seeing was his face light up like a child on Christmas morning when the door was opened.

His face looked like a picture of genuine happiness but what took her by surprise even more that his lit up face, was the woman who stepped forward out of the doorway, with a small child in her arms, the little ones face buried into the chest of the woman.

The woman looked young, their age, maybe a little older but she was gorgeous, that was something that Brooke could not deny. With her blond locks and wide smile, she was sure to go far with her pretty features. The child in her arms, as if sensing that Julian was there, looked up and reached out for him.

Julian gently pulled the child from the woman's arms and gave him a loving hug. The child's head peeped over Julian's shoulder and Brooke could tell that it was a boy.

A very beautiful boy.

He was two, maybe three years old, with curly, brown hair that had been cut short, however, the curls were still evident and a smile that seemed all too familiar.

And as she wondered why it seemed so familiar, the walked into the house.

The wondering stopping as the door closed.

-x-

As he walked into his house and hung up his coat, all he wanted to do was go to bed but his ever loving friends had different plans.

He walked into the living room, expecting to have to turn on the light but was surprised to see that it was already on and his friends were in there, looking very at home and comfortable. He ignored them at first and walked in his bedroom to change out of his jeans and into something a little more comfy, like his flannel pants.

Walking back into the room where they were all sat, he noticed a red light flashing on his phone, meaning he had a message. Biting his lip, not really wanting to listen to it, he pressed the play button and waited to hear the message that had been sent to him.

_"Hey, it's Brooke...__I don't really know what to say because I've never...I don't..." she trailed off and paused, "...I can't do this anymore, Julian...I'm sorry."_

He stared at the phone in disbelief, with a confused expression on his face.

That came out of nowhere, he was sure and he had no idea why all of a sudden she couldn't be with him and that thought of that alone made him want to curl up and cry. She didn't want to be with him anymore, she didn't want him anymore and the worst thing was she didn't tell him why.

He took a deep breath before turning around and he saw Dean standing behind him, a sympathetic look on his face.

"Before you say anything, just don't speak," Julian told him, his voice emotionless.

"I'm sorry," Dean said, sympathetically, "Do you know why?"

"No, I don't...my girlfriend, well ex now I suppose, decides that she doesn't want to be with me, not giving me any reason and I bet she expects me to give up...but I'm not gonna," he ranted.

"Maybe you should give her some space, I mean maybe that's what she wants," Dean suggested, hoping to shed some light on the situation.

It only angered Julian; making him glare at Dean and clench his jaw so tight that Dean thought that he was going to get lock-jaw.

"Look, I get that you wanna help but I can't be sat here all night and not _know_, okay?" He shouted quietly before taking a deep breath.

"I get it, man, I do..." he said before trailing off and Julian frowned at him, "...okay I don't but I suppose you gotta do what you gotta do," he continued and gave him a small smile.

"Whose doing what?" Sam questioned, walking up from behind them.

"Brooke broke up with Julian, not giving a reason, so Julian wants to go and ask her why," Dean told him.

"Dean!" Julian yelled, not liking that he had just blurted that out.

"What?" He asked, innocently, averting his eyes from Julian.

"Brooke broke up with you?" Sam questioned, shocked at the new information.

"_Damn_, that is cold," Carter said, an exaggerated look of surprise on his face.

"Carter, stop with the whole 'gangster' thing, okay? You're not a gangster and you never will be," he shouted at him, causing him to reel back in shock.

"Hey! This isn't his fault so don't take it out on him," Dean said, sternly.

"You're right and I'm sorry but I can't not know, okay? So, I'm gonna go over to her place and I'll be rational when I ask her why," he explained, calmly.

They didn't see any fault in his plan so they all nodded and he walked into his bedroom, putting back on the clothes that he had recently discarded. He paused for a moment when he saw a picture of him and Brooke, framed and sitting on his bedside cabinet.

He had decided that they were going to have some fun so he took them to the beach and it was a good day, a great day and he can always picture how beautiful Brooke looked.

_"So this was a pretty good idea," she commented as she climbed out of the car._

_He smiled as he grabbed the bag out the back of the car, it's contents including two towels, tanning lotion and some refreshments. He wanted to spend the whole day at the beach with her so he made sure he was prepared for that whole day._

_They walked on to the sand, the warmth and softness making Brooke smile and she began skipping to a spot that she thought was best. There was hardly anyone on the beach, which wasn't a surprise considering it was mid-November but despite what time of year it was, the sun was out and shining; he was thankful for global warming on that day._

_He sighed happily, watching her for a moment before following her foot steps and stopping at the spot she had picked. He pulled the towels out of the bag and laid them side-by-side on the sand before lifting his T-shirt over his head, folding it and putting it into the bag._

_His jaw dropped when he saw her remove her over-garments. She pulled off her spaghetti-strapped vest and slipped her slightly flaring mini skirt down her legs, revealing a sexy, two-piece, black bikini. He swallowed, hard and moved towards her, placing his hands on her hips as she put her arms around his neck._

_"So..." she started and he dropped a kiss on her lips, __"...do you like what you see?" She asked, seductively, once he had pulled away._

_He nodded, unable to speak, completely speechless from the beauty that his girlfriend radiated and she smirked slightly before pulling him in for another kiss. He reciprocated by lining her lower lip with his tongue and she granted him access, allowing him to deepen the already passionate kiss._

_As they continued to kiss, under the blistering sun, he pulled her closer to him, relishing in the feeling of her skin on his and stroked her lower back. When he did, eventually, pull back slightly, they smiled at each other before he motioned for her to sit down on the towels. He sat down first and she followed his motions, sitting in between his legs._

_They sat in silence as he lathered tanning lotion over her body, caressing her skin as he made sure that the protective cream was completely rubbed in. He moved from behind her, sitting in front of her and she laid down back, closing her eyes in pleasure but it looked like she was making sure that the sun didn't blind her. She moaned slightly when he smeared some lotion on her legs and massaged her inner thigh. He made sure that it was all rubbed in before lifting his body and moving his head to hers, kissing her lips._

_"You certainly know how to put lotion on," she whispered, once she peeled her lips away from his._

_"Well, I aim to please," he told her, smirking, sitting up and putting some on himself._

_She watched him as he put the lotion, that he had just put on her, on himself and she didn't think that she had ever been so aroused at the sight of his toned abs glistening from the freshly acquired lotion. She bit her lip to stop herself from smirking and giving him the satisfaction that all he had to do was lather himself in lotion to turn her on._

_If only she knew that all she had to do was look at him._

_He saw a mischievous look make its way into her eye and she turned and looked out at the ocean before turning to look back at him._

_"How about a swim?"_

_His eyes widened and he nodded eagerly, practically running to the giant pond._

_She smiled as she followed him._

-x-

She smiled, looking down at the photo as she remembered her time at the beach with him.

However, it soon dropped when she remembered the events of the day that she had just lived through. The flashbacks of the previous hours doing nothing but running through her mind. Julian entering some unknown neighbourhood, walking up to some beautiful yet mysterious house and being greeted by some blonde with a child in her arms.

Taking one last look at the photo, she placed it back into her bag and leaned her head against the head rest, clamping her eyes shut.

Her head was aching from thinking so hard and she could feel the blood pulsating, the light thumping making her headache turn into a full blown migraine. She rubbed her temples and attempted to think straight but she couldn't shake the memory of the child's smile and the feelings it gave her because of it's familiarity.

She knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, that it was because she had seen that smile nearly every day for the past two months.

She just didn't want to admit it.

Rubbing her face aggravatingly, she exited her car and made her way up to Nathan and Haley's apartment, stopping at their door and knocking on it.

Her mind was currently going into overload and it wasn't like she didn't already have issues to deal with but with the newly acquired knowledge, she felt like her mind was going to burst and the one thing that she just couldn't seem to erase from her memory was the look on his face when he saw the little boy.

A look she had seen many a time but couldn't really place, a look that was of happiness and pride and love; a look she did _not_ want to think about.

She took a deep breath when she heard shuffling on the other side of the door and when the door swung open, revealing a tired looking Haley on the other side, she offered a nervous smile. Haley frowned, confused but offered a smile back and pushed the door open wider, allowing Brooke to enter.

They both took a seat on the couch, Brooke looking down to the floor and when she made no effort to explain why she was there, Haley spoke first.

"Brooke, it's 11pm, what are you doing out as this time alone? And not to sound rude but what are you doing here?" She asked softly, touching Brooke's hand as she did.

"I didn't talk to him," Brooke whispered, looking up to meet Haley's eye, ignoring her questions, "I didn't talk to Julian," she repeated.

"Well, that's okay sweetie, just talk to him tomorrow," Haley suggested, taking Brooke's hands into her own.

"I followed him," she revealed and Haley's eyes widened, "Today, I skipped last two and went to his house, to follow him," she continued, her eyes tearing up.

"Oh, honey, what is it?" Haley questioned, worried when she saw a tear slip from Brooke's eye.

"He went to some house," she started and swallowed, "and this girl answered and..." she trailed off, more tears flowing from her eyes.

"And what, Brooke?" Haley asked, considerately, grasping her hand tighter.

"...and she had a child with her," Brooke finished.

Haley's eyes widened even more, if that was possible and turn her head away in shock. She didn't say anything for a moment or two, letting her mind take everything in and then she looked back to Brooke, her facial expression broken and hurt and Haley frowned again taking a deep breath before saying something.

"You don't think..." she said, herself and Brooke both knowing what she was insinuating but she didn't finished the sentence because she didn't want Brooke to hear it out loud.

"I mean, I don't know, I don't know what to think but you should have seen the way he was with him, it was so-"

"It was a boy?" Haley questioned and as she asked the question, she noted to herself that it was completely irrelevant to ask.

"Yeah, he was about two and half," she rolled her eyes, annoyed, "I don't know," she said exasperatedly.

"Brooke, you gotta talk to him, we don't know who that child was or who Julian is to him, it could have been one of his friends kids," Haley reassured her, her tone sincere and motherly.

"No," she whispered, "There's more to it than that, I know there is," she told her, firmly.

"Okay but you still need to talk to him," Haley said back, hoping Brooke would understand that pushing people away wouldn't do her any good.

"There's more," she said, looking scared and lonely.

"Well what is it?" She asked, worried and intrigued.

"I think I might be pregnant," she said, her voice shaking as they heard a door slam.

They looked up to the front door and there stood Nathan, Peyton and Lucas, looking shocked.

Looking _very_ shocked.

* * *

**A/N:** So there is chapter eleven. This one took me a little longer than the past few but hopefully you will enjoy it.

- undiscoveredwriter


	12. Won't Go Home Without You

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**A/N: **The title of this chapter is the name of a song by Maroon 5.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

**_Won't Go Home Without You_**

_"There's more," she said, looking scared and lonely._

_"Well what is it?" Haley asked, worried and intrigued._

_"I think I might be pregnant," she said, her voice shaking as they heard a door slam._

_They looked up to the front door and there stood Nathan, Peyton and Lucas, looking shocked._

_Looking very shocked._

Just like every other time that a bomb was dropped in Tree Hill, the whole room went silent.

Brooke and Haley were both still sat on the couch; Brooke looking scared and shocked, Haley was looking very worried and every now and then she would turn to Brooke to attempt to reassure her but the tears in Brooke's eyes told her that it wasn't particularly working. Nathan, Peyton and Lucas were still stood by the door; Lucas looking shocked with a mixture of rage and sadness added to his glare and Nathan and Peyton just looked shocked, although Peyton's eyes seemed to soften into worry when the shock was wearing off.

Haley stood up, feeling like she had to do something to make the tension disappear and she walked into the kitchen to make some hot chocolate. Brooke turned her head to look at her, her eyes wide with panic as she realised that she had been left, even if Haley was only in the other room that had no wall to separate it.

Turning back to look at them, Haley decided it was time to speak up.

"Anyone want any hot chocolate?" She asked, her voice slightly hesitant.

The three who stood by the door all shook the heads, telling her that they didn't and she craned her neck to look at Brooke, who was staring off into space.

"Brooke?" She questioned, causing Brooke to look up in surprise.

"Yeah?" She asked back, a bit confused.

"Do you want some hot chocolate? I'll do it how you like it," she repeated, adding a small smile as she said the last part of her sentence.

"Yeah, that'll be good thanks," she said, trying to smile back but it did look much like a smile.

Peyton and Lucas frowned when they saw how sad she looked. They understood that Brooke might be pregnant and it by not be to the best guy in the world but it wasn't exactly the end of the world, so why was she so sad? As they both thought of the question, it came to them that Julian much have done something and like the over possessive hero he thinks of himself as, Lucas want to jump straight in and question his theories.

He clenched his jaw, something Nathan saw and Lucas looked to Brooke before walking closer to her, causing Nathan to put a hand in front of him, stopping him fron going any further and gave him a confused look. Lucas looked angry and even though there was also a look of worry within his eyes, Nathan didn't want Broke any more upset than she already was.

Lucas nodded his head reassuringly and Nathan looked hesitant before removing his hand out of the way.

"So what did he do?" Lucas asked, his voice bordering on ridicule.

Brooke laughed incredulously and shook her head in disbelief before walking over to where Haley was, causing Lucas to follow her and in turn, causing Nathan and Peyton to follow him.

"It's none of your business," Brooke spat, looking Lucas dead in the eye.

"We all told you about him Brooke and now look, you're alone and pregnant...what did you do? Tell him you were pregnant and he ran for the hills," Lucas said, angrily.

"Okay, one - you don't even know him, two - he doesn't know that I _think_ that I'm pregnant and three - you _don't _know him," she explained coldly.

"Excuse me, I'm just gonna go to the little girls room," Haley told them, walking down the corridor to the bathroom.

No one seeing her pick up Brooke's phone on her way there.

"Maybe it's you who doesn't know him, Brooke," Lucas said, tiredly, "I mean usually you tell the father of your child before you tell your friends," he continued.

"Just because I didn't tell him first doesn't me I don't know him," she shouted, glaring at him, "'Cause I sure as hell know him better than you."

Lucas stayed silent but he and Brooke continued to glare at each other as Haley entered the room again. She subtly placed Brooke's phone back onto the counter, hoping no one saw it but when she caught sight of Nathan's look, she knew she had been caught. She smiled at him and gave him a reassuring nod but he only frowned back and when she got this look in her eye that showed him what she had just done was the right thing, he knew he couldn't deny her a smile.

Brooke and Lucas continued to glare at each other and Peyton was sick of it so she decided to say something.

"Look, will you both at least sit in different rooms, you're both kind of giving me a headache," she told them.

They nodded, reluctantly and Brooke went back into the living area, taking a seat back on the couch while Lucas took a seat at the dining table. Nathan joined Lucas on the table and the girls moved to sit with Brooke.

Again, they were enveloped into an awkward silence as no one even wanted to speak.

-x-

Dean looked at the door that Julian had just ran out of, confused.

He blinked a few times before turning around and walking back in the living room. He dropped down on the recliner seat and took a deep breath. The others looked up as he came into the room but went back to watching the TV when he saw down. They were watching a basketball game and every now and then they would yell at the screen; Carter always going that little bit too far, standing up and pacing whilst waving his hands around.

After ten minutes of watching the game, Sam realised something.

"Where's Julian?" He asked, once he noticed the brunettes absence.

"I don't know," he answered truthfully, "He got this phonecall and then he just pelted out of the back door," he continued, not too interested.

"Was it Brooke?" Jake questioned, looking from the screen to Dean and Sam, finally joining in the conversation.

"No, I don't think so, he usually gets this weird look on his face when it's Brooke," he laughed, thinking back, "No, it wasn't Brooke."

"If it wasn't her then who do you think it was?" Sam asked, intrigued by his friends sudden disappearance.

"Maybe it has something to do with Mikey," Carter suggested, his eyes never leaving the screen, "Woah, go Bobcats!"

"Mikey? Do you think it has something to do with Mikey?" Sam asked frantically, fear creeping into his tone.

"Dude, it's probably nothing, if it was, he would have told us," Jake reassured him, patting his back.

"Yeah, probably," Sam whispered, hoping he was right.

"Let's get back to the game," Dean said and they turned back to the TV.

"Bobcats rule!"

They all chuckled at Carter.

-x-

Brooke and Haley sipped on their hot chocolates while the others just sat back, looking relaxed but the tension was definitely noticeable. Everyone, bar Haley, felt like they were waiting on something and as if their thoughts all collided into one, someone knocked at the door.

Everyone frowned slightly as Haley went to open the door and as she pulled it open, Brooke nearly burst into tears when she saw Julian on the other side, his eyes landing straight on Brooke. He looked hopeful when he moved forward but she just stood up quickly and ran to the bedroom; the whole while, he watched her with confused eyes.

He moved to follow her but was soon stopped when he started his journey.

"No, I don't think so," Lucas said, standing in his way.

Julian went to snap at him and push him out of the way but Haley stepped in.

"I told him to come," she revealed and took a deep breath, knowing that Lucas wasn't going to take well to that.

"You what?" Lucas spat, angrily, moving into her face.

"Hey! Back off, now!" Nathan shouted at him and pushed him out of Haley's way.

"They need to deal with this together," Haley told Lucas before turning to Julian, "I'll go and get her," she told him.

He smiled gratefully and she made her way into the bedroom. He turned his head and saw Lucas glaring at him, making his smile drop into a frown, his own glare staring at Lucas. It looked like a battle between them, only using their ability to stare each other down.

Then, Lucas smirked, something that didn't go unnoticed by Julian and he moved forward a little.

"So what did you do?" Lucas asked, still smirking.

"I didn't _do_ anything," he said, angrily, still glaring intensely.

"Well you obviously did, you just don't know what it is," Lucas said arrogantly, making it seem like he knew, "You're gonna have to put it right, I mean now that she's carrying your child," he continued, obviously still smirking.

"What?" Julian said his voice barely audible.

"You didn't know," Lucas said, faking shock as Nathan and Peyton glared at him, "I'm sorry I had to tell you."

"Lucas," Nathan warned, shaking his head.

"She's pregnant," he whispered, looking down in shock.

"Julian," he heard his name being said and he snapped his head in her direction.

"Brooke," Julian said, her name falling off his lips.

"You guys go into the living area and we'll stay here," Haley told them.

They did as she said and as the other four walked towards to dining table, Brooke and Julian moved to sit on the couch. As they sat down, Brooke made sure that they were at opposite ends of the couch, knowing that just one touch from him would make her feel like putty in in hands.

He frowned when he saw her move away from him an despite him wanting to pick her up and kiss her until she was weak with pleasure, he respected her wishes and remained seated at the other end of the couch, making sure that he had his distance from her.

"Where to begin?" He said jokingly but she silenced him with a look, "Sorry."

"How about we start with, uhm let me think...what is that little thing that's bugging me..." she trailed off and stood up, "...oh, that's it, you're a cheating asshole," she finished, her hands on her hips.

"Cheating asshole?" He repeated and laughed, "I'm not like him," he nodded in Lucas' direction, "I would never cheat on you," he told her, taking a step closer to her but she backed up.

"You're lying, I saw you, I _saw _you at her house today," she shouted, explaining her reasons for calling him and his face dropped.

"You saw me at her house today?" He asked confused, thinking over what she had just said and then it hit him what she was going on about.

"Yes, I saw you," she told him, her tone harsh and piercing.

"Brooke, that's not what you think it was, okay, I promise," he said to her, practically pleading with her.

"I can't believe anything you say anymore," she whispered, her face contorting from anger to hurt.

"Okay, just listen to me, that girl, she doesn't live there, I swear," he told her, desperately.

"Well then who lives there and whose child was it?" She asked, the tears pooling in her eyes.

He took a deep breath and he knew that he had to tell her the truth, it was the only way she would forgive and if he needed anything right now, then it was for her to forgive him. He didn't know what he would do if he lost her because she was the only good thing going for him.

He had to let go of the secret.

"The blond girl is just the nanny, her names Kate and she looks after the little boy who you saw, his name is Michael but I call him Mikey," he told her, the hesitation apparent in his voice.

"And whose is he?" She asked, afraid to hear the answer but she needed to know.

"He's my brother," he revealed, looking away from her.

"Your brother?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," he nodded, "My brother," he repeated.

"Okay, I think you better tell me the whole story," she said, clearly confused by the news of his mystery sibling but also slightly relieved.

"Right," he said and swallowed, "A few years back, my mom was seeing this guy, Jonny or something, I can't remember but one day she comes to me and tells me she's pregnant," he paused, closing his eyes before turning to look at her, "I mean what was I supposed to say to that?" He asked rhetorically, his voice breaking.

"It's okay, go on," she reassured him, grasping his hand.

"Anyway, my mom said that the guy split as soon as she told him and that she was giving the baby up for adoption; apparently she was too far gone for an abortion," his jaw clenched as his eyes glazed over, looking like he was remembering, "This was my baby brother or sister, I couldn't let her do that so I went to see my grandma, told her everything and she said that she would look after him until I was old enough to, I mean I was only like 15 at the time, so I said okay," he continued but then paused.

"What is it?" She asked considerately, wondering why he stopped.

"If you're pregnant, I don't know if I'll be able to look after him," he told her, revealing his reasons for stopping mid-story.

"Why not?" She questioned, slightly confused.

"I can barely afford to keep myself afloat, how am I gonna provide for you and two kids?" He said, snapping at her a little.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," she said softly, not caring that he just snapped because he was willing to provide for her and their child, if she was pregnant.

She felt like she was about to explode in joy.

He nodded and grinned at her.

"So does that mean you're my girlfriend again?" He asked, still grinning.

"I guess it does, babe," she said, moving her head closer to his.

He met her in the middle and placed a soft and loving kiss on her lips, letting her know in his own way that he wasn't going anywhere, that no matter what she did, he would always be there, fighting until his last breath to make sure that she was with him, that she was safe and that she knew he loved her.

_Love? _he thought hesitantly before realising there was no more of a perfect moment.

"I love you," he whispered, his lips inches away from hers.

"What?" She questioned, reeling from shock.

"I love you," he said, more louder than the first time, "And it's not because I think you might be pregnant but because I love you...I'm in love with you," he revealed, softly.

"Really?" She said, a wide smile making it's way to her face.

"Yeah," he nodded, smiling back.

She laughed happily and jumped on him, her lips on his straight away. He was laid back on the couch with Brooke on top of him and he tightly wrapped his arms around her, loving the way her body fit into his. Slowly, he traced her bottom lip with his tongue and waited for her permission to grant him access. Waiting no more than a matter of seconds, she parted her lips and let his tongue explore every inch of her, making sure he savoured her taste.

He lifted his right hand and slowly moved it up her back before entangling it in her long, brown locks, bringing her closer into him. She moaned softly against his lips and despite their need for air, neither pulled away. It seemed that with the impending news that they may be having a child or with the declaration of love on his part, they were sharing their most intense kiss ever and when they did eventually pull apart, human nature finally taking it's toll, she gently nipped his bottom lip with her teeth and whispered:

"I love you, too."

He went to pull her into another kiss but the not-so-subtle fake cough caused Brooke to sit up and climb off him. He, also, lifted off the couch and turned to see her four friends staring at them, Lucas more intently than they others and Julian could practically see the wheels turning in his head.

"I see you too have made up," Lucas stated coldly.

"Much to your dismay," Julian mutter under his breath.

"Look, Julian why don't you just go?" Lucas questioned, glaring at him.

"Fine, I'll go," Julian agreed and Lucas looked at him in surprise, "But not without Brooke," he continued and grabbed her hand, squeezing it a little.

"Take her, I'm sure you both have a lot to discuss, like that thing she's carrying," he spat harshly.

Julian looked at him with anger and when he saw the hurt look on Brooke's face, her hand moving to her stomach, that may be carrying their child, he lost control and lunged for Lucas, taking him down with one push. He punched him in the face, once, twice and before his fist could make contact with Lucas' face a third time, Nathan pulled him off him and he didn't struggle to break free.

He stood back up, panting a little and walked over to Brooke. She took his hand in hers and lead them to the front door but just before she was about to leave, she turned back.

"Thank you, Haley, I'll call you," she told her, smiling a small smile.

And then they left and didn't look back, not even once.

-x-

After they left Haley and Nathan's, they drove to the 24 hour store to pick up a pregnancy test.

Both of them were scared about the news that they were about to receive, knowing that if Brooke was pregnant then it would change everything and they would definitely be in for a rough ride but as they thought about it, their minds wrapping around the thought of having a child, they both suddenly got their hopes a little too high.

Brooke was thinking that a little boy, with Julian's soulful brown eyes and perfect grin, would be amazing, while Julian wanted nothing more than a little girl just like Brooke; with her curly brown locks, deep green eyes and that smile, that beautiful smile with dime-sized dimples and an aura that could light up an entire room.

They had decided to go to Brooke's house, knowing that they guys were at his place and her parents were currently vacationing somewhere in Asia. Or was it Europe? Brooke tended to forget as she doesn't really care.

Pulling into her drive, he killed the engine and took a deep breath. He put both of his hands on the steering wheel, clenching them around the rubber slightly and Brooke saw his knuckles turning white. She looked concerned as she saw his jaw clench and she reached out to touch his hand and he turned to look at her.

He gave her a gentle smile and motioned for her to walk into the house.

They made their way into her house and, as usual, went straight to her room, not stopping to even glance at any other part of the house. At first they just sat on the bed, neither talking or even being in close proximity with each other but then Julian smiled at her and motioned for her to come closer. She scooted towards him and climbed on top of him as he laid back on the bed; her on top of him, her head on his chest and his hands running up and down her back.

"I'm scared," she murmured into his chest and he visibly tensed, "I mean if I'm pregnant...it just scares me."

"Me too, okay? I am petrified," he stated whilst rubbing her back still, "But I promise you that everything will be okay," he continued, his voice holding an amount of vindiction that made her believe him.

She lifted her head of his chest and looked into his eyes; and she knew that if his words weren't enough then look in his eyes would be all she needed to see to show her that he was telling the truth. Shifting her body up a little, she placed a small, wet kiss on his lips and then, as his hand slipped under her vest, she deepened the kiss and he flipped them over.

He made sure that his kiss held everything he needed to show her that being there, with her, in that moment, was where he wanted to be forever. Pulling his lips away from hers, he proceeded to plant wet kisses along her jawline and neck.

"I love you...I love you so much," he said into her skin and lined his kisses back up to her lips, placing a searing kiss on her mouth.

"I love you, too," she murmured into his lips before pulling back, "I should probably take that test," she whispered, her eyes averting away from his slightly.

"Yeah, you're right," he said back as he lifted his body off hers.

She gave him a small smile before grabbing the pregnant test out of her bag and walking towards the bathroom. She stopped before she got into the door and turned to look at him. He noticed her hesitation at the door so he gave her an encouraging smile. She sighed and turned into the bathroom; missing his smile dropping.

He leaned back against the bed, sighing as he did and brought his hands up to his face, rubbing his fingers over his eyes; trying to relieve himself of the stress that seemed to engulf his body. With the silence that surrounded him, he finally let his head register the days events and when the hours passed by in his head, the surprise that he hadn't actually had a heart attack yet, hit him.

Suddenly feeling extremely tired, he let his eyes close.

-x-

Haley, being the motherly type she is, paced the floor; her foot steps quick and light. Her forehead was creased with a worried frown and as her footsteps failed to ease up, Nathan's face soon grew worried too. He knew that his wife would be over-bared with worry at the news they had just received but with what he was seeing, he had no pre-conceived idea that she would be this wound up with worry.

He turned his attention to the two blondes sitting in the his living area; his face still stained in worry. He noticed that they were sat at each end of the couch, trying to stay as far away as possible from each other and when Lucas turned his head to check on Haley, he caught Peyton's eye but looked away within an instant second of making eye contact.

Confusion invaded Nathan's mind; what the hell was up with the brooding blonds?

Feeling like, for once, he would have to be the peace maker in the situation, he decided to speak up; if not in hopes to let everyone get everything of their chest then to at least fill the unbearable silence.

"Okay," he started and three heads turned to look at him blankly, "This is driving me crazy; not to mention I have a _bitch _of a migraine, so everyone, out with it," he continued, sternly yet the three stares remained blank.

"Nathan, you okay, honey?" Haley asked hesitantly, not bargaining on the sharp turn of his head.

"No!" He said in frustration, throwing his hands up, "So Brooke could be pregnant," he stated and Lucas winced, "It's not the end of the world."

"It's the end of her world," Lucas muttered.

"Yes!" Nathan said, clapping his hand, "Finally a bit of emotion, huh? Really Lucas, you've out done yourself," he said with a voice laced in sarcasm.

"Nathan," Haley hissed.

"No, Haley, he needs to get over it, okay? It has been _weeks_ and I would be glad to sit here and listen to him mope if he wasn't being such an inconsiderate, hypocritical, _asshole_!" He shouted, angrily, his eyes locking with Lucas' in an stare down battle between the Scott Brothers.

A battle that had been witnessed many a time.

"That is out of line, Nathan and you know it," Peyton said, her voice low and almost threatening as she finally contributed to the conversation.

"I can fight my own battles, Peyton," Lucas spat, menacingly causing Peyton to reel back in hurt and then he turned back to Nathan, "She cheated on me, she lied to me and she...she," he took a deep breath and Haley saw his eyes shimmer with tears, "she fell in love with someone else," he choked, dropping on to the couch; lowering his head in defeat.

All eyes looked sympathetic; Nathan's also apologetic.

"I'm sorry, man, I'm the one that is being inconsiderate...I shouldn't have said that," Nathan said, patting him on the back as Haley moved to comfort her brother-in-law.

"You're right, though," Lucas said as he looked at Nathan, "I have been acting like an asshole but only because it hurts," he lowered his head, "It hurts to see her with him, kissing him; loving him and all I can think when I'm looking at them is "look away, just look away" but I can't, no matter how much I try to forget, that image is just burned in my mind."

"Lucas," Haley started, her voice soft and he lifted his head to look at her, "The hurt will fade and I know that Brooke and you know that Brooke isn't doing all that in front of you on purpose," she reassured him.

"I know but every time I see _her_, all I can think about is _them_ and his hands all over her and it makes me sick," he spat, his eyes reflecting the disgust in his voice.

"You need closure," Nathan stated simply and they all turned to look at him, "Just go and talk to her, lay everything on the table; just get it all out in the open...I know it'll make you feel better," he explained.

"Maybe but I don't think right now is a good time; for one, she's with him and I know that he pretty much wants to kill me," Lucas reasoned, almost avoiding having to go and see Brooke.

"If he's the great guy that Brooke says he is, he'll let you get it all out; we'll even go with you," she offered before continuing, "And you know that Brooke would let you too and no one tells Brooke Davis what to do," Haley chuckled and they joined her soon after.

As the laughter slowly died down into another silence, Nathan moved to sit on one of the chairs while Haley continued to rub Lucas' back in a comforting way and held onto his hand. Peyton was still sat at the far end of the couch, reeling from hurt at Lucas' mean outburst that sent her into a state of shock. Lucas, in all his heartbroken state, sat with his head lowered and when Haley felt a sudden wetness on her hand, she lifted his face to look at him.

The tears running down his face were hard to miss.

"I just want it to stop hurting," he choked when she questioned him with her eyes.

"And it will, Lucas, it will stop hurting, I promise," she said back, casting a look to Nathan who was shaking his head slightly.

"I hope it does."

-x-

His eyes fluttered open at the sound of a car door slamming outside and it took his eyes a while to adjust to the place in which he was. He scanned the room and within a instant of taking everything in, it was very clear where he was.

Brooke's bedroom.

After he register the thought, he suddenly grew worried to where she was. He glanced at the clock and realised that he had been out for four hours. Rubbing his hand over his face then over his head, he jumped out of the bed and walked towards the bathroom. He pushed the door open and looked in, his eyes scanning the whole of the room.

She wasn't there; his worry increased ten-fold.

He moved to the bedroom door, opening it and walking through before continuing his journey downstairs. He searched throughout the whole ground floor of the house until he stopped at one door; a room he had never been it before, mainly because Brooke told him that it was her Father's office.

Swallowing back the worry and taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open and what he saw broke his heart.

There she was, perched on the window sill, her body wrapped in nothing but a pair of old shorts and his black sweatshirt and as he made his way into the room, the noise caused her to look up. Her tear-stained face turned to him as her tear-filled eyes looked at him.

He had no hesitation when walking over to her and wrapping his strong arms around her. She tensed in his arms but when he tightened his hold on her, he felt her relax. He swallowed hard when he felt her tears soak through his wife beater but despite the aching need to hold her and comfort her, he just had to know.

Pulling back, he looked deep in her eyes and silently questioned her.

"Yeah," she whispered, her eyes welling up with tears again.

"Yeah?" He questioned, his eyes wide.

She nodded.

"I'm pregnant."

* * *

**A/N: **So there is the next chapter. I know that I've neglected this story a little but I was just lacking in inspiration, especially with starting college so hopefully the updates will become more frequent. I hope you enjoy, I really do!

- undiscoveredwriter


	13. You're The World To Me

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**A/N: **The title of this chapter is the name of a song by David Gray.

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

**_You're The World To Me_**

The embrace was sweet; bittersweet.

It was a mutual feeling between both of them, Julian knew of that. The way she tensed but then soon relaxed; the way he could feel her tears through his shirt but could also feel her cheeks tighten with the hint of a smile and the way her eyes seemed to hold a whirlwind of emotions that could only be described as _bittersweet_.

He felt helpless with his arms around her and the only thing that seemed to ease her sobs was him tightening his hold on her and even then, he could still feel the wetness soaking through to his skin and he was sure that every tear that she shed, broke his heart a little more.

It had been four days since they had found out about the foetus that was growing within her and they had yet to face the outside world.

They hadn't left Brooke's house; he hadn't been to work, he simply called in, telling Stevie that he had come down with a serious illness and he may be in next week but he held no promises. And Brooke? Well, she hadn't been to school, hadn't thought of school; she hadn't even let any other thought register in her mind other than the fact that she was going to be a _mother_.

A mother.

The thought of being a mother alone induced another batch of freshly sobbed tears and she was even more grateful that throughout the four days, Julian had yet to leave her side. He was there, making sure she ate, showered, slept; taking care of her with such love and devotion that it just made her fall in love with him even more.

Despite all of this, she knew that they would eventually have to face reality and as she laid in her bed with him, his arms secured around her waist and her tears slowly easing up, she knew that time was now.

"We should probably go and see a doctor," she said, breaking four days of silence.

She was slightly afraid when he never said anything back but as she turned around in his arms to look at him, the shock evident on his face was reason enough.

"Uhm, I, doc-what?" He stuttered, unable to form a sentence after being virtually a mute for the better part of the week.

"I should go and see a doctor, you know? Make sure every thing is okay," she explained and couldn't help but giggle at his facial expression.

He looked shocked.

"I, uhm, I...sure," he responded, his tone slightly skeptical and pulled back, sitting up against her headboard.

"You okay?" She asked, frowning; worried at his sudden movements.

"Yeah," he said as if it were obvious before continuing, "I'm just a little shocked that's all; I thought we were gonna be mutes for the rest of our lives," he grinned.

_That grin,_ Brooke thought, _is going to be the death of me._

She giggled before crawling over to him in her own, seductive, luring way and straddling him; wrapping her arms around his neck. Her fingers played with the hairs that rested on his neck and when she saw him swallow, she smirked in satisfaction.

"You should already know by now baby," she said as she slowly moved in closer, "I tend to _shock_ a lot of people."

Her lips crashed onto his in a hastened kiss.

And suddenly, after being emotionally and physically shut off, she felt like opening up to him in the most intimate of ways.

The only thing he could think of was how he had missed the softness of her lips and the sensuality of her tongue caressing his and before he could stop himself, he had flipped them over so he was lying on top of her; his mouth still firmly attached to hers.

He placed soft, open-mouthed kisses along her jaw, lining down her neck; his fingers slowly skipping their way to their hem of her vest, lifting above her head and without a second thought, he unclasped her bra too. The round, fullness of her breasts never ceased to amaze him and as he began to place kisses along the valley of her plump rack, she arched her back into his mouth.

She proceeded to pull his wife-beater over his head, taking the time to admire his strongly, defined muscles; and letting her hand trail along a scar that rested just above his waistline. The scar showing that it was obviously a dangerously deep wound but she had never questioned him about it.

To be honest, she was petrified to know the answer.

His fingers moved down to her thigh and she involuntarily inhaled sharply as his tips trailed along the inside of leg. They moved along her skin and rested on the waistband of her shorts. He stopped for a moment, not out of hesitation but out of respect. However the pause was not needed as when he looked into her eyes, the look was of pure lust and love and nothing that could stop him.

He dipped his fingers within the material and gently dragged them down her smooth legs; and there she laid, the girl he loved, practically naked and carrying his child.

His _child_.

Grinning at her, he kissed his way up her legs and rested his lips on midriff. He took his time in touching, caressing and kissing the soft skin that inhabited their child and when he dipped his tongue into her navel, she had to bite back that moan that rose up her throat.

She sensed his happiness and smiled down at him after trying to control her pleasure and then, after suddenly realising that she _should_feel the overwhelming pleasure that his kisses gave her, she felt the sudden need for him to be inside of her and she knew that he was craving the feeling too, by the feeling of his arousal on her thigh.

Raising her leg, she pushed down his boxer shorts with her perfectly manicured toe and sensing that she wanted to speed things up a little, he looped his hands into her panties and pulled them, too, down her legs; his hands resting on her thigh.

"Julian," she said causing him to look up at her.

"Yeah?" He questioned, frowning at the look she had on her face.

"Do you love me?" She asked nervously.

"You know I do, couldn't stop if I tried," he replied, his hands moving across her skin, shaking at the contact.

"Say it," she whispered, her lips almost touching his.

"I love you," he murmured into her lips.

He ran his hand along the inside of her thigh and she closed her eyes in satisfaction before he ran his fingertip over her warm centre and just as he was about to delve into her wetness, she grabbed his hand.

"No," she said, shaking her head and he looked at her confused, "I just want you inside me," she whispered upon seeing his look.

He nearly came right there and then at the way she said the hiddenly profound words.

Seeking his way back to her lips, he reattached their mouths before sliding inside of her; causing him to pull his lips away from hers.

"God..." he breathed into her neck; missing her tightness around him.

He stilled slightly, relishing the feeling that he had missed so dearly before beginning to move within her. He slid in and out of her with the intention of taking it slow and steady but then he felt her respond by bucking her hips into him and all rational thoughts left mind.

The feeling was _that_ overwhelming.

"Harder..." she moaned into his ear.

He pushed himself further into her but she wanted him deeper and without a seconds notice, her fingers danced their way to his lower back, pushing him into her further and he could do nothing but start to thrust deeper and harder. He cast a look up to her face, her eyes were clamped shut and her teeth had a vice grip on her bottom lip and she looked a_-mazing_.

His movements continued and just when he was about to add more pressure to a spot that was clearly causing her pleasure beyond belief, she turned them over. She took in the look on his face and smirked; glad that she could still surprise him.

She began to move up and down on his hardness; his length going deeper within her due to their new position and when she felt her release bubbling, she spread her fingers out and dug her nails into his chest and he could do nothing but stare at the beauty on top of him; clenching his jaw whenever she slammed back into him harder and faster.

The moans and sighs of pleasure leaving her parted lips sent him reeling.

In an attempt to release her orgasm, she began to buck at a speed that only a spitfire like Brooke Davis could endure and her motions nearly sent him veering into the black hole of pleasure without her but he knew that they had to do this together, so he tried to drag it out, make it great (not that it wasn't always) and make it something that both of them could cling to.

Meeting her movements, thrust for thrust, he felt the need to be closer to her so he took a seating position and wrapped his arms around her waist. He could feel her clenching around him slightly and when she finally tumbled over the edge, she tightened around him; letting out a moan that he was sure was heard down the end of the street.

His mind went into overload.

"Julian..." she cried in pleasure, pulling him into euphoria with her.

She lifted her head back, facing the ceiling and arched her body into his as they continued to move, trying to take as much out of the feeling as they could and he moved up within her until the tightness of her warmth around him was so overwhelming that he couldn't hold back the groan the made its way passed his lips.

Nipping at his bottom lip with her teeth, he spilled out into her and she latched on to it that little bit harder when she felt the effect of his contents spread warmth throughout her body.

She went limp in his arms and rested her forehead against his; both panting as the aftershocks of their orgasms ran wild throughout their whole bodies. He leaned forward and placed a sloppy kiss on her lips, one that she responded to by deepening and wrapping her arms around his neck.

Eventually, they pulled apart and he laid Brooke down on the bed, pulling her to him in a tight embrace.

"So I didn't expect that when you said we should go and see a doctor," he joked and planted a kiss on her forehead.

She giggled.

"Oh, I so did," she revealed, breathing into his skin.

"Really?" He questioned, trying to sound surprised but if he was honest, he knew it was going to happen too; they had been without touching each other, intimately, for four days and there are just some things that cannot be stopped.

"Totally," she paused to yawn before continuing, "Oh and Julian?" She said, sleepily as her eyes began to close.

"Hmm?" He questioned in his tired state.

"I love you, too."

Widening his eyes, he looked down to see her facial expression but she was already asleep and he knew, despite his best efforts, he wouldn't be getting much sleep at all.

He was _way_ too happy.

-x-

If Haley was worried four days ago then what she was feeling now was sure to give her a heart attack.

She had waited for the call, the one that Brooke said she would make but it didn't come and when she took it upon herself to make the call, there was no answer, so sensing her worry, Nathan suggested that they go to Brooke's house to check on her. They had knocked on the door, rang the bell and Nathan had even checked all the doors to see if any were unlocked but no, there was simply no way of getting into the Davis household. They had even went to Julian's house and were greeted with some very smug looking boys who had just said, "Nope, he's not here," and grinned their way back into the house.

So, needless to say, Haley was _beyond _worried.

She had been to school for all of the four days but it was clear that head just wasn't in it and if Nathan didn't love this loving, motherly side to her so much then he would have banged her head off a wall for being so reckless with her school work; something, other than music, that she prided herself on.

Her days consisted of waking up, worrying, getting dressed, worrying, worrying some more and then worrying that little bit more, so much so, that Nathan was starting to grow anxious about his wife's exhaustion due to how much "worrying" took up her day.

It seemed stupid to most, ridiculous even but to Haley, she was simply looking out for her friends.

She stood at her locker, placing some books inside when she felt someone wrap their arms around her waist and she tensed slightly.

"Hey, wifey," she heard his voice whisper into her ear and she visibly relaxed, turning around in his arms.

"Hey, _hubby_," she mocked slightly before sighing, "Sorry, it's just today has been a bit of a drag," she explained, softly.

"It's okay, I know you've had a lot on your mind recently," he reasoned, offering her a small smile.

"You're too good to me," she commented, raising herself on her tip toes and planting a kiss on his lips.

"Well, you're the best to me," he said once they pulled apart, "So it's only fair that I be as good as I can to you," he grinned.

"Aww, my corny husband, how I love you," she swooned, sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes at before clasping her hand in his and making their way to the cafeteria for lunch. Just like Julian with Brooke, although they didn't know, Nathan was making sure that Haley was getting a good nights sleep and eating properly because everyone knew that if anything happened to her, he would not be able to cope.

She was the most important thing to him; even more important than basketball and that was saying something for a Scott.

Making their way through the vast room, the collected their food and made their way to their regular table that was slowly filling up with their friends; Peyton, Mouth, Skills, Jake, Bevin and Tim were the only ones that were there. As they proceeded to sit down, Haley momentarily wondered where her brooding best-friend was but the thought was soon diminished when the dreaded topic came up. Again.

"Heard from Brooke yet?" Peyton asked, concerned about her best friend although she didn't know if she quite qualified for the title.

"No," Nathan sighed, "Not a single word," he continued, dragging at the words he spoke before grabbing a handful of fries and placing them in his mouth.

"I've called her, like, 30 times in the past few days," Peyton told them, shaking her head, "You would think that she would have the decency to call us back," she muttered.

"I think that she has a lot on her mind," Haley explained, coldly; glaring at her as she spoke.

Peyton was about to respond but the sound of someone laughing spread throughout the quad; the sound seemed fake and it was definitely annoying, making some people cringe and when they turned to look who it was, their eyes widened at the scene in front of them; their disgust clear in many ways.

Lucas, being the somewhat idiotic person he was, seemed to have gotten involved with, none other than, Rachel Gattina; the image in front of the group made that clear. He had his hand lazily resting over her shoulder and from what they could see, her hand was tucked inside his button down shirt, stroking his chest.

All their faces scrunched up in disgust.

The desperate duo made their way towards the table; Rachel's laugh lingering in the pathway that they walked down. Lucas took a seat and as Skills shuffled along to let Rachel sit down, she just smirked and took her place on Lucas' lap and much to their shock, placed a kiss on his lips.

"I see the scraps of Brulian have clawed their way together," Peyton said, bitterly and started sketching on the pad in front of her.

"Shut up, Peyton," Lucas growled and glared at her.

"Don't babe, she's just jealous," Rachel said, smirking at Peyton before kissing him again.

"Maybe, whatever," she muttered, collecting her things up off the table, "But from what I've seen, it's you who always seems to be the distraction for _every_ guy out there."

And then she walked away; leaving a seething Rachel, who slumped off Lucas' lap and into the space next to him.

"She is _such_ a bitch," Rachel mumbled, scowling deeply.

"Mistake number 1," Haley started and Rachel turned to her, "Trashing my friends. Mistake number 2; being Lucas' joyride of a distraction and mistake number 3," she stood up, copying Peyton's movements, "Thinking you're something special," she spat and walked away; Nathan following her lead.

Rachel's eyes were wide as she watched the golden couple walk away.

"_What_ is with this town?"

-x-

After a much needed sleep on Brooke's part, her and Julian had made an appointment at the doctors to find out if she really was pregnant.

They had got dressed; showered, shaved [for Julian] and acquired some freshly washed clothes and made their way to the car, proceeding to get into it and drive towards the clinic. For the most part, the drive was silent, their minds wandering to the answer that the doctor would give them. It made them ache with impatience at the fact that they knew they would have to wait a little for the results.

Julian had made it his personal task, even weeks before they started dating, to make sure that Brooke was happy and he just hoped with all his heart that he could deliver the promise in which he made to himself; because if he couldn't, he doesn't think that either Brooke or himself could take it and now, with this shocking bomb that had just been dropped, he felt that he was failing already.

And that killed him.

He reached across and latched her hand in his, causing her to turn from looking out of the window and look at him. She smiled, albiet an only small one but a smile never-the-less and his heart soared at the sight of her dimples.

Turning his eyes back to the road, they continued to drive in silence until Brooke brought it upon herself to break through the quietness.

"So, I've been thinking..." she trailed off with an innocent smile.

"Uh-oh, that's never good," he joked and she mocked glared at him.

"Funny," she said dryly before biting her lip, "No, uhm, I was thinking that, maybe, you should think about enrolling at Tree Hill High," she suggested.

To say he was shocked would be an understatement.

"What?" He questioned, shocked and slightly confused.

"I said that you should prob-"

"I heard you," he snapped and she reeled back, "I just can't believe you would suggest something like that," he shook his head, annoyed.

She was the one that was shocked now.

"Why is that so unbelievable?" She asked, confused.

"Because you're pregnant, Brooke, _pregnant_ and we have to think about this in a serious way," he shook his head in disbelief, "Brooke, I have Mikey and you and now this baby, going to school is _not _an option, okay?" He said, sternly.

"What about when I go to college and you're stuck in some dead-end job and you start resenting me, your really think that would be best from your brother and your child?" She questioned, knowing she was making a valid point but whether it would do anything for her case was another issue.

"I won't end up resenting you, Brooke, okay? So that little scenario you just played out will never happen," he replied, stubbornly, not daring to look at her.

"God, why are you so stubborn?" She questioned, frustratingly, "We don't know where we're gonna be in 5 or 10 years and I know that you sure as hell can't predict the future, so you _don't_ know that you won't resent me or hate me and to me, it's you who isn't thinking about this in a serious way," she continued, coldly.

He didn't say anything after that, not really wanting to admit that she was right; he was stubborn and they didn't know where they would be in years to come but it didn't make the situation any easier for them.

Pulling into the car park, he killed the engine and leaned back against the head rest. She was about to leave the car but before she had chance to even open the door, he reached over, gently clasping her arm within his hand and stopped her but she didn't bother to look at him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered and she turned to him; her eyes hopeful, "For snapping at you - it was out of line."

She shook her head in disbelief before chuckling bitterly.

"That's what you're apologising for?" She yelled in disbelief, "You can be such a jerk sometimes, you know that?"

"Why? Because I apologised?" He questioned, confused.

"No," she stated simply whilst picking her purse off the floor, "Because you clearly have no idea what you should be apologising for," she explained and opened to door to climb out.

He grabbed her arm again and she paused.

"I'm not gonna apologise for trying to keep my family happy," he said back, hoping she would understand.

"Then you might wanna look up the definition of happy."

He really had failed, hadn't he?

-x-

Lucas sighed as he drove through the streets of Tree Hill, embarking on a task that his mother had asked him to do. He had went to the cafe after Haley had practically assaulted Rachel and his mother was sat there, waiting for him with a list of things to buy for her from the store and now, he had wished that he had just stuck it out with Rachel.

He was making his way down Croft Street, which had a row of stores on and at the corner of the street was the clinic and when he saw Brooke and Julian walking in, his heart constricted in pain and he wished that it was _his_ baby that she was having but what he wished more was that the feelings he had for her would just disappear.

But he knew that they wouldn't just because he wished; he had to deal with them.

"Damn it!" He yelled in frustration, slamming his hands against the steering wheel before putting his head in his hands.

Why did his Mother have to send him to the shop for groceries during his lunch hour?

-x-

Sighing, he followed her into the clinic, trailing behind slightly because she seemed hell bent on not walking anywhere near him and when Brooke Davis walked fast, she walked _fast_. As she got the the reception and the woman asked if she was here for a check-up or an abortion, he nearly threw up at the thought of killing his child and involuntarily made a gagging noise.

Brooke turned to him and noticed he looked a little pale; her eyes furrowing in concern but then the events of the previous fifteen minutes played through her mind and she glared at him before picking up the form she had to fill out and making her way to one of the seats.

He took a deep breath before reluctantly following her; dropping into the seat next to her. He heard her mumbling answers to the questions and the rasp of her voice was making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

Not really enjoying the silent treatment she was giving him, he decided to find a distraction for himself and pulled out his wallet. He opened it open and came into view of two seperate pictures of two people.

Brooke and Mikey; the two most important people in his life and the two he knew he couldn't live with out.

He swallowed, not realising that Brooke had heard the gulp and she turned to look at him, realising that he was looking at something. She peaked at it, making sure he didn't see her and her heart clenched at what she saw. The picture of her was obvious but the little boy in the next slot made her crumble in awe.

Sensing her eyes beside him, Julian turned to look at her and gave her a small smile before looking back down to the picture.

"You know, I wish I could make all this easier but every time I think that everything is gonna be okay, it's me who messes it up and I just think that, maybe everyone is better off with out me," he revealed in a soft voice, "Maybe it would be easier for everyone if I just disappeared and never came back."

Her eyes widened, filling up with tears and her heart clenched in her chest at his confession. She grabbed his hand harshly and brought it to her chest, clinging onto it for dear life. He turned and looked at her, startled by her sudden, physical outburst.

"If you left, I know that I wouldn't be able to cope because you mean everything to me; and this baby, even though it wasn't planned, proves that," she said quietly and looked at him through tear-filled eyes.

"I'm so sorry," he choked, his own eyes filling up and depite his best attempts at fighting them back, he couldn't stop them from falling, "I'm so sorry," he repeated, shaking his head.

She looked at him, tears streaming down her cheeks and, against the better judgement in her mind, telling her that he had been a major a-hole, her heart ached to comfort him so she lurched forward and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.

He buried his head into her, crying into her chest and he felt tears on his shoulder. However, he almost cried out in shame when he realised that he should be the one comforting her but instead he just lifted his head up, wrapped his arms tightly around her and let _her_ cry into _his_ chest.

"I'm sorry, too," she mumbled into his shirt and he pulled back, looking at her shocked causing her to look into his eyes, "I shouldn't push this stuff on you when we're going through something so big," she said, softly.

He didn't know what to say so he did the only thing that came to mind and leaned forward to place a soft kiss on her lips. She reciprocated by letting her hand trail to the back of his neck and pulled him closer into her. He was about to slip his tongue into her mouth and taste her when they were, rudely, interrupted.

"Don't you think that this sort of stuff has got you into this situation in the first place?"

They pulled apart and turned to see who the voice belonged to; and there sat a woman, possibly in her late 30's, a gold wedding ring on her finger and a bump that showed she was at least four months into her pregnancy.

Julian's jaw clenched and he was about to snap at her but a nurse came out of one of the doors and looked directly at them.

"Brooke Davis?" She called, her eyes still on the pair as they looked up at her.

Both Julian and Brooke looked at each other before following the woman into one of the rooms; one that was without a doctor so Brooke just took a seat and Julian copied her actions. The wait was horrible, excrutiating even but they just sat there, not really knowing what to say after the episode in the waiting room.

They were extremely thankful when a man walked in, about 30, tall and dark-haired, wearing a long, white coat.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Reid and you must be..." he trailed off, looking att the clip board whilst taking a seat, "Brooke Davis?" He questioned with a smile.

Brooke never responded verbally, she only nodded her head.

"So what seems to be the problem?" He asked, his smile turning into a frown when he looked towards the boy next to her and he wanted to know the issue as to why she was there and with Julian Baker.

Julian and Brooke saw this and Brooke knew that Julian would probably do something regretful so she jumped in before he could get the chance.

"I think that I might be pregnant," she told him quietly, "I took a home pregnancy test and it came back positive so we just want to know for sure," she continued, explaining her reasons for being there.

"Okay," Dr. Reid said before turning to Julian, "And you?" He questioned, his tone very un-professional.

"Well, I'm pregnant, too, didn't you get the memo?" Julian said, sarcstically and he felt Brooke nudge him so sucked up his pride, for her, "I'm the father," he told him through a clenched jaw.

"Really?" The doctor asked in shock, glancing to Brooke for a moment, not realising that he was testing Julian's patience and anger level.

"Yes, really," he spat before taking a deep breath and continuing, "Look, we didn't come here for your opinion, just a damn pregnancy test, so will you just do the test?"

"Of course, I'm sorry for being so brash, let's continue," Dr. Reid apologised and began to test Brooke, "Can I ask you, when was the last time you had unprotected sex?" He asked after doing various tests to her body.

"Uhm, about a month, month and a half ago, why?" She asked, confused at the random question.

"Well, if you are pregnant then you will be at least a month along so we can do a sonogram and that will mean that you won't have to wait a week for the results, is that okay?" He smiled.

"Yeah, yeah that would be great," she said, quickly and glanced to Julian, who was smiling at her.

The doctor pulled out a sonogram machine while Brooke sat on the doctor's table and lifted her shirt up. She held her breath as the doctor prepared the machine and for some reason, even when Julian grabbed her hand and held it tightly, her nerves didn't ease.

Julian was worried, too; scared that something was wrong or that something could go wrong and that he wouldn't be able to stop it. That is what worried him the most; not being able to stop danger from entering Brooke's life because he was a failure and this baby would know he was a failure.

He swallowed, clasping Brooke's hand tighter but she didn't turn to look at him, not this time.

Dr. Reid smothered the blue gel onto Brooke's stomach and she hissed in shock at the cold feeling. The doctor looked up, a small on his face; knowing that it happened to all of his patients. He placed the roller onto her midriff and began searching for a heartbeat.

Nothing but silence.

Brooke and Julian looked at each other, alarmed, wondering if it was just a false alarm and all the worry had been for no reason. The doctor's eyebrows furrowed in confusion because Brooke had all the symptoms to being pregnant.

_Hmm? _He thought, curiously before turning to look at the young pair and shrugging his shoulder; all the while still looking for a heartbeat.

"I'm not pregnant?"

Dr. Reid went to answer but was interrupted.

_Thump thump...thump thump._

The light strumming of a heartbeat echoed its way around the room and Julian's head snapped towards Brooke. He looked at her with a big smile and the small hint of tears in his eyes before leaning over and pulling her into a smearing kiss.

Pulling apart, they both turned to look at the screen.

"That's your baby," the doctor told them.

Brooke smiled at the sound and sight before whispering:

"That's our baby."

-x-

Lucas Scott was many things and many people would agree with that.

Some would say he was a a basketball captain, a jock, a champion, a star and a heartthrob whereas others would say he was a jerk, a liar and a cheater but one thing that they could not say about him is that he was a quitter because Lucas Scott did not quit.

And that was how he ended up where he did; at Brooke's house and despite him not quitting, it still didn't make him any less scared because he knew, as did the next person, that Brooke Davis' rather was pretty brutal.

He took a deep breath before curling his fist and lifting it up to the well known door and knocking on it.

Taking a step back from the door, he waited patiently for someone to answer. After a moment or two, there was shuffling on the side and waiting no more that a few seconds, the wooden component swung open and he was met with a very shocked expression.

"We need to talk."

* * *

**A/N: **So there, without much of a wait is the next chapter. This chapter is to open up some issues for the story and also to give you some Brulian loving:P...I hope everyone enjoys it and if it's not too much trouble, I hope you can review. Thanks.

- undiscoveredwriter


	14. AUTHORS NOTE

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**A/N: **I'm just dropping a quick note to thank everyone for the reviews I have received; each one of them, in their own way, inspiring me to continue with this story. The support has been more than a blessing and I would just like all of those who read the story and those who also reviews it to know that I am extremely grateful and every other review in the future will be just as appreciated.

Thanks a bunch =]

- undiscoveredwriter


	15. Pretty Girl

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**A/N: **The title of this chapter is the name of a song by Sugarcult. This chapter is going to have a lot more "Lucas" in it but it is still going to be Brulian throughout; simply because I feel that if I keep the story solely centred on Brulian, it may become boring and I don't want that for my story. The title of the chapter associates with the actual content of the chapter because it is about how Lucas feels for Brooke.

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

**_Pretty Girl (The Way)_**

_pretty girl is suffering, while he confesses everything_

_you can never get him out of your head_

_pretty soon she'll figure out what his intentions were about_

_and that's what you get for falling again_

_and that's what you get for falling again_

_you can never get him out of your head_

_Lucas Scott was many things and many people would agree with that._

_Some would say he was a a basketball captain, a jock, a champion, a star and a heartthrob whereas others would say he was a jerk, a liar, a cheater but one thing that they could not say about him is that he is a quitter because Lucas Scott does not quit._

_And that's how he ended up where he did; Brooke's house, despite he not quitting, it still didn't make him any less scared because he knew, as did the next person, that Brooke Davis' rath was pretty brutal._

_He took a deep breath before curling his fist and lifting it up to the well known door and knocking on it._

_Taking a step back from the door, he waited patiently for someone to answer. After a moment or two, there was shuffling on the side and waiting no more that a few seconds, the wooden component swung open and he was met with a very shocked expression._

_"We need to talk."_

"No we don't," was the repsonse he got and when the person on the other side of the door went to close it, he put his hand against it, stopping it from shutting.

"Brooke," he said pleadingly, "I really need to talk to you," he said in desperation.

She frowned as she heard the tone in his voice and she knew that with Julian inside her house, elated at the news they had just received, it would probably be a really bad idea to let him in but with what she heard in his voice and the look he had on his face; a look she had never seen before, something inside her told her that she couldn't turn her away.

Biting her lip, she glanced back into her house before turning to face him. The look on her face made her face contort into worry because they may not be together but there was a time when she was in love with him and despite the immensity of her feelings fading, she still loved him like a friend.

"Please," he whispered regretfully.

She paused for a second before nodding.

"Yeah, come in," she said quietly, pushing the door out wider to let him in.

He smiled and followed her into the house, looking around the vast space as he did. Brooke's house had always fascinated him; with its high ceilings, seemingly endless space and the quietness that envelopes your mind and body and soul and to some, it seemed eery and distrubing but to him, it was peaceful and gave him a sense of serenity.

Realsing that he had stopped in her foyer, he shook his head subtly before moving into the kitchen, where she had just walked into. He practically skipped his way in, smiling the whole way but then the sight he saw made he freeze; the smile dropping.

Brooke and Julian were engaged in a light make-out and as he turned his head away, he coughed purposely.

They both turned to look at him and he looked at their facial expressions, trying to decipher their feelings; Brooke looked sheepish, almost guilty and Julian looked angry that he was there but there was shine in his eyes that urged a wonder in his brain.

What made him so happy?

_it's the way_

_that he makes you feel_

_it's the way_

_that he kisses you_

_it's the way_

_that he makes you fall in love_

"What the hell are you doing here?" Julian asked, harshly, subconsiously standing in front of Brooke.

"I need to speak with Brooke," Lucas told in a plain tone; his eyes trying to stay emotionless.

"Yeah?" He questioned bitterly and Lucas, not knowing how to respond, nodded his head, "Over my dead body," he said through a clenched jaw.

"Look, I know that we're not-" Lucas started but was cut off.

"Not what? Best friends? Friends even?" Julian said sarcastically, "You mean nothing to me, just like I mean nothing to you," he stated in a matter-of-fact one.

"I know but Brooke means something to both of us and I need to talk to her," Lucas told him and if Julian was almost bursting in rage, he would have heard the tone of desperation in Lucas' voice.

"This is not up for negotiation, okay? She is _not _talking to you!" He yelled in frustration.

"Julian," she said softly and he turned to look at her.

He knew as soon as he looked into her eyes that he would come out looking like a fool because she _was_ going to talk to him but he wanted her to say it; he wanted her to tell him that she willingly invited this _jackass_ in her house, while he was there and she was going to have an actual conversation with him.

He wanted to hear the words from her lips, not the jackass'.

And she knew what he wanted, too; by the way he was looking in her eyes, willing her to tell him, she knew and she also knew that even though it was only something small like talking to Lucas, it would still hurt a bit for Julian.

Swallowing deeply and then taking a breath, she spoke.

"I'm gonna talk to Lucas," she told him, her eyes pleading with him to understand.

"Whatever," he muttered and pulled his sweater over his head, "I'm gonna go and see Mikey, I'll see you later."

He placed a soft kiss on her cheek and made his way out of the house, making sure he glared at Lucas as he departed.

She sighed as she watched him go but she knew that, deep down, she had to do this; just get everything out in the open and lay all the cards on the table because even though there were no begrudgoning feelings for Lucas, he still deserved an explanatation.

Turning back to look at Lucas, she began to make some coffee. She asked him silently if he wanted some and he just shook his head slightly so she continued to make only one cup and chose to simply ignore the awkward silence that had settled over them.

He watched her as she moved around the kitchen, picking and dropping the different things she needed and didn't need. It seemed fluent and natural and he couldn't remember a time when he had seen Brooke so domesticated; almost _motherly_.

And that's when it hit him.

The clinic...Julian's happiness...Brooke's new found domestic side...

_she's beautiful as usual with bruises on her ego and_

_her killer instinct tells her to be aware of evil men_

_and that's what you get for falling again_

-x-

_you can never get him out of your head_

_and that's what you get for falling again_

_you can never get him out of your head_

If Julian Baker despised anything, then he despised waiting.

The feeling of impatience gnawing and ebbing and irrating him was like an uncurable pain that rolled through his mind until he alluded himself in the comfort of dissappointment because then, there was no more waiting, no more gnawing and no more pain.

He had been through the motions of waiting and disappointment all his life; his past, part of his present and he was sure that there would surely be some in his future but with Brooke, the feelings didn't just ebb at his mind, it somehow struck his heart like an unsuccesful chord.

The impatience was hard but knowing that he was waiting for _Lucas_ to leave was almost unbearable. He knew why she was doing it and she knew he knew. It was because she was _that_ person; the person who would help those who were her friends and showed her something that had or will help her, even if they had done wrong by her once, or twice, but to him, Lucas deserved the feelings of guilt and grief and regret to lay, lingering, within him because to him, he had done nothing for Brooke that she couldn't do herself.

He hated that Brooke couldn't see that; her potential.

That scared him, too; that she would see that she could do and have some much better than some lowlife who squatted from house to house until he was sixteen years old and could actually find a sense of resposibility within himself to get a house and a job; a guy that used to make a living, when he was fourteen, by selling drugs for some local dealer to kids his own age.

He clenched his fists around the steering wheel and allowed himself to move away from those thoughts.

Turning his head around, he took in the sight of the small boy, sat in the back of his car and smiled; that was one thing his brother could always do, make him smile. He reached his hand back and grinned widely when the little boy clasped his small hand around Julian's finger.

"You wanna finally go and meet Brooke?" He asked, his voice soft; fatherly.

Mikey giggled.

"I'll take that as a yes."

_it's the way_

_that he makes you feel_

_it's the way_

-x-

_that he kisses you_

_it's the way_

_that he makes you fall in love_

She was pregnant.

His eyes widened at the realisation he had just confronted and he had bite back the bile that rose in his throat. He shook his head in disbelief and before he had chance to even make a run for it, there was suddenly a slideshow of images running through his mind; Brooke and Julian laughing, Brooke and Julian cuddling and kissing, Brooke and Julian making love and the final one, the one that made the others seem insignificant, Brooke and Julian cooing over their child.

First a handsome little boy that was Julian's replica and then the one that gave him a blow to the heart, a beautifully, flawless little girl, who looked _exactly_ like Brooke.

Suddenly feeling overcome by nausea, he attempted to make up an excuse to leave.

"Uhh, Brooke," he started and she turned to him, "I, uhm, I gotta go, I'm sorry, maybe we'll talk another time," he told her and went to walk to the door but she stopped him before he even got a foot through it.

"I don't think so mister, you came here to talk to me and now, you're gonna," she said and walked to the dining table, "So sit you're ass down," she ordered in a stern voice.

He rolled his eyes at her voice but followed her instructions anyway and huffed as he dropped into the chair adjacent to her. His face scrunched up in discomfort when he felt something digging into his back and he reached behind him and pulled an object from the back of the chair, revealing a stuffed, purple monkey.

Brooke watched him as he did this and snorted in laughter when he pulled the purple monkey from behind him, causing him to look up at her and pout. She laughed again at his facial expression and soon, her stomach began to hurt from the excessive giggling.

His pout turned into an annoyed frown and she stopped laughing but had to bite her lip from smiling.

"It was funny," she commented, defending her reasons for laughing.

He shook his head at her and couldn't stop himself from smiling, glad that he received one in return.

"So what's up?" She asked, nonchalantly.

"I just think that we need to clear everything up; just get everything out in the open and get some closure; and I think that will be best for us," he explained, hoping she would see his side of things.

"Yeah, I think that you're right and I also think that it will be best for you and I," she said and took a sip of her coffee, "So, where do you wanna start?"

"I guess I wanna know when it all change; when you stopped being in love with me and started being in love with him," he told her, jumping straight into the nitty gritty.

She looked shocked at his sudden admission into the conversation and it took her a few moments to collect her thoughts and despite her knowing that he probably didn't want to know the answer, she took a deep breath and braced herself to answer it anyway.

_it's the way_

_that he makes you feel_

_it's the way_

_that he kisses you_

_it's the way_

_that he makes you fall in love_

_love_

"It wasn't like that, my feelings didn't just dissappear over night; I didn't just decide to _change_ who I was in love with," she explained, exasperatedly; silently thinking that maybe that is why all her friends are skeptical about her dating Julian.

"So what? You didn't love me when we were together?" He asked, hurt and looking pretty broken.

"Lucas of course I loved you," she told him and he smiled, "But, if I'm honest, I don't think I let myself fall back _in_ love with you because I don't think that I could trust you," she continued and the smile fell from his face.

"You couldn't trust me?" He questioned quietly, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"Luke, you broke me, almost beyond repair and I know now that it was a mistake to get back with you, not just because of you but me too," she answered and sighed, "Hindsight _is_ a bitch."

"Peyton was the mistake, okay? And I asked you and asked you, over and over again how you felt about that and do you know what you told me?" He asked and she stayed silent, "You told me that you were fine, that you knew Peyton was a mistake," he continued sharply.

"Yeah, well I lied, okay? Because I _thought_ that I could trust and because I _thought_ that I loved you!" She yelled at him and stood up out of her chair.

"We've already covered the part where you didn't love me but how about this for a thought?" He said and also stood up, "How about where I thought _I_ could trust _you_?" He continued and Brooke looked at him confused.

"What?" She questioned, not knowing what the _hell_ he was going on about.

_pretty girl... pretty girl..._

"When we had gotten back together, you said you trusted me and that you forgave me, right? So what I'm thinking is that it was all payback; I cheat on you, you cheat on me," he explained bitterly.

"No, that is not how it was at all and you know that," she hissed in anger before shaking her head in disbelief.

"Then tell me, Brooke - how was it? Huh?" He asked in a condescending tone.

_"Don't _patronise me," she spat and started to pace the floor, "He was just there one day and before I knew it, I was in love with him," she told him, only pausing in her movements to give him a gentle smile; hoping to cushion the blow.

"Okay; were you in love with him when we were together?" He asked hesitantly.

"Luke," she said softly; silently pleading with him.

"Just tell me," he whispered and looked down.

"I think so," she told him, her voice faint, "I knew it was wrong and I knew that it would hurt you and trust me, that is not what I wanted but _you can't help who you fall in love with_, right?" she continued, her voice finding a growing confidence with each syllable she spoke.

"No," he said softly, "You can't," he rubbed his hands over his face and began to make his way out before turning back to look at her, "Brooke," he called.

"Yeah?" She said as she turned to look at him.

"Can I ask you something?" He questioned hesitantly, squinting his eyes.

"Sure," she smiled.

"Are you, you know...are you?" He mumbled and stumbled over the words before settling his eyes on her stomach.

She smiled sadly before quietly saying:

"Goodbye, Lucas."

_pretty girl is suffering, while he confesses everything_

_pretty soon she'll figure out_

_you can never get him out of your head_

-x-

_it's the way_

_that he makes you cry_

_it's the way_

Lucas paced his bedroom floor, his steps seemingly corresponding the ticks and tocks of the clock.

He knew, he _knew_ that she was pregant, so why couldn't she just admit it? Why couldn't she just say it out loud? Why the _hell_ was she making him suffer through the waiting (**A/N:** Ironic, huh?) of finding out? He couldn't, for the life of him, figure out the answer.

Unless...

_No,_ he thought, _that's impossible - she couldn't love me, she said so herself._

It was then, in some moment of distinct clarity - almost an epihany of sorts - that he realised his life was shaping up to end in some deep, depressed slumber and the only way it would change was if _he_ actually got up and did something about it; oh, hindsight _was _a bitch!

He moved his eyes to the clock that seemed to be annoying him beyond belief and his jaw clenched at the time; _Julian _would be at her house now.

Clenching his jaw, he realised that he was not going the right way about his new-found clarity and then he moved into the kitchen where his mother was making dinner.

"Hey, ma," he greeted and took a place at the dining table.

"Hey, honey," she said back and turned to smile at him but then she noticed his sullen expression, "What's wrong?"

He contemplated the decision in telling her; letting the deepest, darkest thoughts that lingered within him come spilling out in a saddened yet rage-filled rant. He contemplated telling her of the ache that just wouldn't leave his heart and the not-so-nice throbbing sensations that it left in his head but when he opened his mouth to speak, it seemed like all the words that he had comtemplated saying just disappeared and he could not, for the life of him, tell her.

"Nothing, ma - you know me; lose a a one-on-one and I'm in a mood for days," he told her with a fake smile.

"Lucas, my boy, you take basketball too seriously," she joked and continued to flitter around the kitchen, preparing their dinner.

"Yeah," he whispered, sombrely.

Once her back was turned, the fake smile, that had been sitting on his face, dropped within a instant and his face was taken over by an expression filled with pain and regret and it was clear to anyone that looked within his eyes that his regret was of a lost love.

_But this lost love could not be found..._

A lost love; that was one way to describe it. Lucas would rather describe it as perfection; complete flawless features that wrapped around a deeply loving, compassionate, feisty persona and if Lucas was honest, he was in awe everytime she moved, everytime she spoke - just everytime she did anything.

Taking a deep breath, he started helping his mother with the food.

_Ever._

Could it?

_that he's in your mind_

_it's the way_

_that he makes you fall in love_

-x-

_it's the way_

_that he makes you feel_

_it's the way_

Julian's mind was swirling as he pulled up in front of Brooke's house.

His thoughts were clouded with questions and suspicions and wondering; it was the wondering of not knowing the answers to the questions that caused his heart to ache most. He wondered if Lucas had convinced her of him being nothing more than the scum he had deemed him in the hospital but then as soon as he thought it, he mentally hit himself for thinking it because he knew that Brooke loved him and he knew that Brooke knew he loved her, so she would never doubt them.

Would she?

As soon as he pulled up, he noticed that Lucas' car had gone so he knew that he wasn't there but for some reason he felt that he couldn't go in, like something in his seat was pulling him down with such force, that he couldn't physically move out of the car.

He wanted to go in and with the little guy in the back, babbling away, he wanted nothing more than to grab him and run it to Brooke's house and shower in kisses and love and all things she deserves and _be a family_ but the super-glue-like tension just kept him from doing it.

"Juwian," the little boy in the back said, sweetly; his lack of experience in talking making him unable to pronounce the letter "L".

"Yeah, buddy?" He questioned, making sure he smiled at him.

"You say we go see Bwooke, does she wive in that big house with the pwetty door?" He asked innocently; the tone in his voice making Julian's heart ache.

"Yeah and we're gonna go and see her," he choked, swallowing the feeling inside him.

"So how come we still sat in you car?" Mikey asked, a small frown on his face.

And then, as if by some miracle, the pulling tension disappeared and he felt free to leave.

"We're going now buddy," he told the little brunette.

The smaller Baker giggled as Julian got out of the car and walked around to his door, opening it and pulling the small child out. He walked to the trunk and pulled out a bag that consisted of diapers, creams, wipes and food for the little one.

Julian shifted Mikey on his hip so that he had a better grip on him and proceeded to Brooke's front door. His steps weren't hesitant but he was wasn't speeding either and as he neared the door, he moved his eyes to his brother and noticed the little boy's eyes were lit up in amazement.

Grinning, Julian reached the front door and stood before it, unsure of what to do; should he go staight in or knock first? He shook his head ad suddenly felt sheepish and almost guilty so he twisted the door knob, opened the blazing red door and stepped inside the large abode.

"It a quiet here," Mikey whispered as his eyes scanned every inch of the place.

"Yeah, it really is," Julian commented, frowning because all the lights were off yet Brooke's car was still there and the thought that entered his mind next nearly made him keel over.

What if Brooke left with Lucas?

_that he kisses you_

_it's the way_

_that he makes you fall in love_

_love_

He shook his head again, trying to shake the thoughts out of his head because he knew that he was being unreasonable and acting like a complete pansy because if Brooke was able to trust him, even with his well known past, then he should definitely be able to trust her. And he did, he really did because he loved her so much.

It was Lucas who he didn't trust.

"Brooke," he called out as she moved into the kitchen.

"Bwooke," Mikey repeated and giggled afterwards.

His eyes moved around the kitchen, looking for her but she wasn't there so, and picking up a little pace, he moved out of the kitchen and up to her bedroom. The door was shut, which was so unlike Brooke and swallowing slightly and closing his eyes, he pushed it open.

Taking a deep breath, he re-opened his eyes and walked in. He raised his free hand to the left and flipped on the light switch, the two large hanging lights in the centre ceiling of the room illuminating the entire room, enabling him to see everything in it.

And, again, there was no Brooke.

Frowning in concern, he pondered where she could be for a second before making his way back downstairs. The little one in his arms seemed to have noticed the tension and remained silent, burying his head into Julian's shoulder. He stood in the foyer of the house and thought, silently, to himself before walking towards the front door.

Then he heard a noise, coming from the living area.

He was immediately in alert mode; the tension in his body growing, his hairs standing on end and his muscles contracting. He turned to the small boy in his arms who seemed to have heard the noise too and was looking alarmed and frightened and his heart constricted.

Shrugging the bag off his shoulder, he placed the little boy on the floor and stroked his hair.

"You just stay here, okay? Don't move until I come back for you," Julian told him, softly.

"Otay," Mikey said, quietly and nodded.

Julian planted a small peck on the child's head and straightened himself up before turning to the direction of the living area. He clenched his fists and proceeded through the archway door into the vast darkness. He could barely see anything but the small light peeking through the drapes allowed him to see the outlines of some of the bigger objects in the room and as he cast his eyes from the couch to the TV, he saw the outline of a figure, holding something in their hand.

He crept forward, his footsteps light and quiet and when he gained the opportunity, he hurtled himself forward at the assailant, wrapping his arms around them in an iron vice grip. The person in his arms screamed and he frowned when he noticed their voice was very feminine and their frame was very small.

Pulling back to look at them, his eyes widened at who it was.

_it's the way_

_that he makes you feel_

_it's the way_

-x-

_that he kisses you_

_it's the way_

_that he makes you fall in love_

_love_

Lucas, being the full fledged creative person he was, sat at his desk and typed furiously on his laptop; an array of inspiring sentences and visually dynamic phrases leaving a path across the blank page. He may be broken hearted but it somehow flared an inspiration within him and as he came across his clarity, he established a reason for writing.

He knew that his Mother's worry had not eased and he felt guilty, he really did but if he told her everything then he knew that he would be only adding to his worry so, being the loving and doting son that he was, he opted not to let his mother in on his thoughts.

As he moved onto another paragraph, there was a knock at the door, pulling him out of his writer's reverie. He frowned when the knocking became persistant and almost desperate and so, clenching the tension out of his fingers, he moved towards his side door.

Rubbing his face tiredly, he pulled the door open and was hit with shock at who was standing there.

"We need to talk."

Ironic, huh?

_pretty girl... pretty girl..._

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, so there is the next chapter and I understand completely if you don't feel it is of any decent standard. I have been suffering, again, from a small case of writers block. It appears my creative juices are running out. And fast. But, never-the-less, I've prodded on and, reluctantly, produced another chapter for everyone, so I hope you enjoy and I really hope you can review - it means a lot to me when you do.

Also, I have started a new Brulian story, it's called Sweet Disposition. I think that those who read this fanfic (Brulian fans, obviously - I think) will enjoy this story too.

- undiscoveredwriter


	16. Weight of the World

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**A/N: **I know, I know, I know... I'm evil for how long I've made you all wait for an update. And I'm really sorry. I've just been bombarded with college work and other priorites but I promise I'll try not to make you wait so long for the next update after this one. The title of this chapter is a song by the Editors and it has some pretty awesome lyrics.

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

_**The Weight of the World**_

_keep a light on those you love_

_they will be there when you die_

_baby, there's no need to fear_

_baby, there's no need to cry_

Everything had happened so fast; too fast.

One minute he was trying to reprimand some intruder in Brooke's house and then the next, he was in the hospital; his heart heavy and breaking. His feet were pacing up and down the hospital corridor as he waited, wondered; worried.

It seemed like as he thought about the previous hours, everything seemed to blur and for once, the little boy on the seats beside him, asleep and looking perfectly content, did nothing to ease the feeling in the pit of his stomach; did nothng to ease the lurch in his mind, telling him that something was drastically wrong.

He tried his hardest to piece everything together but the thinking left a throbbing pain in the back of his head. Twisting his neck to ease some of the tension, he paused his fluid footstep movements and took in the waiting room - a room that seemed all too familiar.

Haley and Nathan sat in one of the corners, embracing each other; a frantic looking Karen pacing too; Peyton was MIA and no one, that he knew of, had called Lucas yet and to be honest, he was glad because he couldn't deal with his little snipes here and there.

Looking down at his hands, he had to blink back the tears at the red stained flesh and he raised his head to the ceiling, closing his eyes as more tears threatened to spill. He rubbed his face frustratingly and tried to make sense of all the pain, anguish and just _bad _around him but the seemingly-never-easing throbbing prevented him from doing so.

"Juwian," Mikey said, his sleep-filled voice pulling Julian out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, buddy?" He choked as he sat down next to him.

"What we doing here?" The little boy asked and crawled into Julian's lap.

"Well, sometimes..." he took a deep breath, "...sometimes people get hurt and this place makes them all better," he told his brother; trying to make it seem a lot more simpler than it actually was.

"Who hurt?"

Julian closed his eyes in pain and swallowed.

_every little piece in your life_

_will add up to one_

_every little piece in your life_

_well, it means something to someone_

"Brooke."

_He crept forward, his footsteps light and quiet and when he gained the opportunity, he hurtled himself forward at the assailant, wrapping his arms around them in an iron vice grip. The person in his arms screamed and he frowned when he noticed their voice was very feminine and their frame was very small._

_Pulling back to look at them, his eyes widened at who it was._

_"Haley!"-"Julian!"_

_They each exclaimed at the other before both sighing in relief when they realised that there was no intruder in Brooke's house._

_Haley looked down at the object in her hands, her face holding a sheepish expression and Julian stifled a laughter when he, too, looked at what she was holding. She lifted her head up to glare at him before walking over to the couch to throw the object on to it and then turned around, arms folded and a stern expression on her face._

_"Were you, uh, going to pillow me to death?" He asked, amused before smirking, "Because that would of really hurt."_

_"Haha, very funny," she said dryly but had to let a small smile creep across her lips, "I grabbed the first thing I could when I heard a noise, which was you by the way," she explained._

_"Yeah, sorry about that," he apologised and looked around slightly, "I was just looking for Brooke, obviously, do you know where she is?" He asked kindly._

_"No, I was looking for her, too," she answered and frowned, "She's gotta be around here somewhere," she continued, her voice shaking a little with worry._

_"Well, I mean, we could alwa-"_

_"Juwian! Juwian!"_

_Mikey's little yells rang throughout the house as he bolted into the living area where he saw his big brother standing with some unknown girl._

_Julian looked at him with worried eyes before swiftly making his way over to where the little boy stood, shaking with fear. He reached down and lifted Mikey into his arms, holding him tightly against his body and gently rocking him, trying to erase some of the fear that seemed to have consumed his body._

_He pulled back a little to look at Mikey's face and gently stroked his hair._

_"What is it, buddy?" He asked softly, avoiding scaring the little boy anymore than he already was._

_"I heawd sweaming," Mikey mumbled and Julian's eyes widened, __"I heawd it fwom out there," he told Julian and pointed down the hall, his finger aiming directly at Brookes' fathers office._

_Julian's blood ran cold as he saw where Mikey was pointing to and when he too heard the cry of pain and agony laced with that very particular hoarse voice, he didn't waste anytime in running to the door and swinging it open. He barged in with harsh force but stopped, frozen in his stride, as he caught sight of what was in front of him._

_Brooke...blood...Brooke...more blood._

_She was sitting on the floor, perched in an awkward looking position, clutching her stomach. A look of in-comprehendable agony on her face as the puddle of red liquid seemed to darken and spread further; it's depth indicating that it was not stopping. Registering her pain, he shot over to her, his body in full sprint, before crouching on the floor next to her and gently stroking her face._

___"What is it? What's wrong?__" He asked, frantically._

_______"Something's wrong...something's very wrong,__" she said, hoarsely and glanced down to her stomach._

___His face paled and his heart constricted._

_______"The baby?__" He breathed, questioningly as his hands made his way to the top of hers, resting on her stomach._

___With his eyes firmly on her midriff, he didn't see her eyes roll to the back of her head or her face pale a considerate amount, turning a ghastly colour. ____He only looked up when she failed to answer his question and as he caught sight of her ghostly complexion and closed lids, he gently shook her; failing to realise her shallow breathing._

___"Brooke..." he said as he tried to wake her._

___There was no response. Her eyes never opened and he had never wanted to see her beautiful green eyes more than he did then. He gently shook her again, tears springing to his eyes as he whispered her name over and over and over again._

___He was sure his heart stopped beating in his chest when he felt her breathing stop altogether and knowing she was in trouble, he screamed with startling pain:_

___"HALEY! CALL 911!__"_

"Bwooke?" Mikey questioned as confused fron adorned his face.

"Yeah...Brooke," Julian answered, a tinge of frustration in his tone.

"She be okay?" The small child asked, his own tone so innocent, Julian felt his heart crumble.

"I don't know..."

_you fused my broken bones_

_back together and then_

_lift the weight of the world_

_off my shoulders again_

-x-

_every little piece in your life_

_will add up to one_

_every little piece in your life_

_well, it means something to someone_

"We need to talk."

Lucas stood, frozen, with a shocked look on his face; his eyes wide with surprise, curiosity and wonder but he couldn't, for the life of him, utter a response.

"Did you not hear me? I said we need to talk," the person snapped and barged passed him, making their way into his room.

"I, urm, I heard you but...I...I don't know...what?" He stuttered as he tried to fathom _why _they were in his room.

"Lucas, we need to talk about what happened in the library that day."

"Peyton..."

"Look, I get that it didn't mean anything to you, considering how you've been mauling Rachel and you're still in love with Brooke but..." she shifted her eyes to the floor, "...but it meant something to me."

"I'll admit, the Rachel thing was definitely bad judgement on my part but I'm not still in love with Brooke," he denied, sternly, piercing the curly haired blonde with his look.

"Please," she snorted, "Have you forgot what has happened these past few months? Because you are certainly still in love with my best friend and just because she doesn't want you back, doesn't mean you can deny it," she said, harshly; not caring about the consequences of her words.

"Wow," he chuckled bitterly, "I never knew you could be so...cold," he spat.

"It's not me being cold, it's me being realistic," she stated, as a-matter-of-factly.

"Realistic? Really?" He questioned and she nodded, "So the premise of you coming here was just to tell me I'm still in love with Brooke?"

"Well...no...but seeing as you need someone to tell you that you are then-"

"See! That's everybody's problem!" He shouted, cutting her off, "Everyone seems hell bent on telling me who I love and what I feel and I'm just wondering where the hell I lost control of those choices!"

She looked at him, dumstruck and shocked at his sudden outburst until the sudden realisation came to her that maybe she was telling him everything _she _wanted to tell him but she didn't listen to what he had wanted to say. She had just jumped to the conclusion that she had thought up herself, without any indication from him that that may be true.

"I'm sorry," she said, softly and walked towards the door, "I'm sorry," she repeated and went to walk out.

"Peyton, wait!"

_every little piece in your life_

_will add up to one_

_every little piece in your life_

_well, it means something to someone_

-x-

_you touch my face_

_scarred with spurs in my ear_

_there are tears in my eyes_

_love replaces fear_

Fear.

His body shuddered and trembled with the fear that he may never get to see her pretty green eyes or her wide-eyed, dimpled-dimed smile or even just hold her ever again and the pain that surged through his heart because of the thought made his knees buckle from under him.

The prospect of losing her was unbearable and, despite his best efforts at holding then in, the tears flowed freely. He wanted to be strong, for her, the little boy beside him and the baby growing in her womb, but he was only human and when such intense feelings hit an all-time high, he can only do what anyone else would do, he dropped to his knees and prayed.

He prayed for all of them and when he had finished receiting his prayers, he repeated them over and over again.

The hollow vibration of a heart-wrenching sob traveled up his throat and his mouth parted but a hand on his shoulder stopped the action and he turned to look at who the person was.

"It's gonna be okay, honey," the voice said with a surpirsingly soothing tone.

He stared, wide-eyed, at his mother and tried to come to terms with everything that happened and he wanted to yell at her, tell her that she had no right to be there but as he stared in her eyes, the same colour as his, the same colour as his brother's, something inside him changed and he couldn't do it; instead, he just fell apart.

The flood gates opened once again and that agonizing sob that got restricted within his throat came tumbling out. His mother pulled him into a tight embrace and he just sobbed and sobbed into her shoulder as she let a few stary tears fall from her eyes too.

His grief was like the ocean; it was deep and dark and bigger than those in the room and his pain was like a thief in the night, stealing away the last remnants of hope he was believing in.

"Juwian," Mikey called and Julian suddenly felt ashamed for not being strong for his little brother, "Juwian," he called again after getting no response.

"Yeah, Mikey?"

"Who that?" He questioned, pointing to his mother.

Julian froze.

_touch my face_

_scarred with spurs in my ear_

_there are tears in my eyes_

_love replaces fear, fear_

-x-

_every little piece in your life_

_will add up to one_

_every little piece in your life_

_will mean something to someones_

She turned around, a small smile on her face, feeling hopeful.

However, the smile soon dropped when she saw the look of anger and resentment on his face.

"You can't just storm in here and start laying all these accusations on the table and not expect a reaction or anything," he spat, angrily.

"Well you can't just kiss me and not expect a reaction from that," she shouted back.

"Woah, woah, who kissed who? Because I distinctly remember _you _kissing _me_, not the other way around," he responded, distastely.

"I was bleeding to death, you idiot!" She shrieked in anger and he stared back at her in shock, "I thought I was going to die and so I kissed you because I knew that kissing you before I died would mean something to me and I thought it would mean something to you but I guess I was wrong."

"Peyton..."

"Because it clearly meant _nothing_ to you," she spat; willing her tears not to fall and turned to walk out but paused when she heard his voice.

"I was terrified and confused and the last bit of hope in me was disappearing with every breath of yours that shallowed," he stated, his voice breaking.

She stopped walking out of his house but didn't turn around.

"There was...there was just so much blood and I was so scared for you and, admittedly, there were feelings there; feelings I hadn't felt in a long time but with Brooke and Julian and the baby, I'm just..." he trailed off and she turned around, looking him dead in the eye, "I'm just feeling really confused."

"That's understandable, Lucas and it's not like I'm-" she was cut off by the sound of her phone ringing and as she went to hit the ignore button, she realised she had received 6 miss calls and decided to answer it, "Hello."

"Who is it?" Lucas asked but was only shushed by Peyton.

"What?" She breathed into the phone, "No, no, no, I'm coming now."

The coversation ended and Peyton put her phone away before shuffling around and as she was about to bolt out of the door, Lucas grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Who was that, Peyton?"

"That was Nathan," she said quietly, her voice shaking, "We have to get to the hospital."

"Is is Haley?" He questioned fearfully.

"No," she shook her head, "It's Brooke."

_every little piece in your life_

_will add up to one_

_every little piece in your life_

_will mean something to someones_

-x-

_keep a light on those you love_

_they will be there when you die_

_baby, there's no need to fear_

_baby, there's no need to cry_

He stared, stoically, at the small child; unable to form a repsonse.

The day had been heavy with a mixture of emotions and thoughts and feelings and when it all came down to it, he was drained - physically, mentalling and most definitely emotionally. So when his mother showed up, all kind and _motherly_, he saw it as a chance to unload some of those feelings onto her, as harsh as it may, and it was liberating for him to just let it all out.

However, despite the fact the mini-breakdown was needed, it came to a surpirse that it was besotwed upon his mother and because of the relief he felt from it, he forgot about the environment he was in and that his little brother was still in the room.

His little brother who didn't know his mother or father; his little brother who was abandoned.

"_Juwian_..." the small child pulled him from his thoughts, "...who that?"

"That's, uh, this is..." he trailed off, trying to think of something, anything, that make this _right_.

"My name's Elizabeth and I'm just a friend, sweetie," she told Mikey; her tone soft and soothing.

"Friend?" The little one questioned; his face scrunching up as noticed the obvious age difference between his brother and the unknown woman.

"Well Mikey-"

"You know my name?" The little boy questioned; his eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"Mikey, buddy, why don't you go over there with Brooke's friend, Haley," Julian started, pointing towards the petite woman; his voice breaking as he said Brooke's name, "And she'll buy you some candy," he continued as enthusiastically as he could.

"Okay..." he said, confused but complied with what he was told to do and walked over to where Haley was.

Julian watched as his little brother tugged on Haley's pant leg, causing her to look down at him. The blond-haired woman smiled a little at the child before picking him up. She turned and looked at Julian, a look of agreement and recognition in her eyes. She nodded her head a little and then proceeded towards the vending machine.

He watched the bodies disappear down the corridor, sighing once they were out of sight.

_every little piece in your life_

_will add up to one_

_every little piece in your life_

_well, it means something to someone_

"I remember his first word," he said, softly; his eyes still cast towards where Haley had just exited with Mikey, "He was sat on Grandma's floor, playing with his little blue ball and I remember it as if it were yesterday," he continued as tears entered his eyes before turning to look at her.

"Julian, don't," she whispered defiantly.

"Do you know what it was?" He questioned but got no reponse, "Do you?" He asked more forcefully and wasn't surprised when she shook her head.

She wasn't there.

"No."

"It was _Momma_," he spat, angrily; glaring at his _Mother_, "I remember just stopping and looking at him and then looking for you but guess what? You weren't there. You've _never_ been there," he bellowed, contining to rant as his voice grew more louder with each word.

"I couldn't... I-"

"You couldn't?" He scowled, "You couldn't what? Be a Mom? Act like an adult? Come on, _Elizabeth_, tell me what you _couldn't_ do!" He screamed with anger and frustration and pain; a flush of red covering his face.

"I couldn't watch him grow up and ruin his life like I ruined yours!" She shouted back, the flush in her face replicating Julian's.

"What?" He questioned, his eye narrowing.

"I said-"

"I heard you," he spat before continuing, "But don't you dare use me as an excuse," he said with a low, menacing voice.

"I'm not," she said, sternly.

"Yes you have," he started, his voice calmer as he looked into her eyes, "You've been using me as an excuse for as long as you could, just like I've been using you as an excuse; an excuse for my pathetic life, the way I've acted, what I've done to people but you know what? That all changed when the girl lying in this hospital, fighting for her life, came into my life," he continued, bravely, his voice cracking due to the raw emotions her was showing.

"Julian..."

"I don't care about you, like you didn't care about me," he hissed and watched her face fall, "The only people I care about are Brooke, Mikey and my baby."

Everyone gasped as he dropped the bomb on them but at that point, he didn't care; didn't care if they knew or if it meant something to them because all he wanted was for Brooke and then baby to be alright. To be healthy and happy and live a life with him, forever.

And just when people thought things couldn't get any worse; Lucas and Peyton walked through to doors.

Together.

_you fused my broken bones_

_back together and then_

_lift the weight of the world_

_off my shoulders again_

"Oh my god, is she gonna be okay?" Peyton asked frantically as she ran over to Nathan; Lucas following behind her.

Both of them missing the dangerous look Julian was giving them.

"We haven't heard anything yet, she's still in surgery," Nathan told them, his voice quiet with sadness.

Julian _did not_ know _that_.

"Surg-" Lucas started but was cut off.

"What?" He shouted and walked towards them, "She's in surgery? She's in surgery and you knew?" He asked and everyone could see he was trying to keep his cool.

"Well the doctor came out and Haley said you looked so broken so she told them she was her sister," he explained, "She figured it was best to tell you when we had good news."

"They may not be any good news, though, Nathan," Lucas stated as a matter-of-factly; not realising the damage he was inflicting.

"Get out," Julian hissed but Lucas didn't move, "I said, _get out_. Leave this hospital or I swear, I will not be responsible for what I do," he continued with a venom in his tone.

"I'm not going anywhere," Lucas told him, defiantly.

"Yeah, you are because you're the reason she's in this fucking position!" Julian screamed at him with hate.

All eyes bulged at the accusation and the jaws dropped when Julian grabbed onto Lucas' shirt and pushed him forcefully towards the door.

"What do you mean 'he's the reason'?" Peyton questioned, curiously and a little afraid.

"I mean-"

"Anyone here for Brooke Davis?"

Julian's head snapped towards the doctor.

"Yeah, me, I'm her..." he paused, thinking of something, "...I'm her fiance."

Another bomb dropped.

"We did everything we could..." was all he heard.

And then it went black.

_every little piece in your life_

_will add up to one_

_every little piece in your life_

_well, it means something to someone_

* * *

**A/N:** There it is, folks, my new chapter. I'm sorry it took so long. Please review.

(I took a little line from OTH and spun it my way)

- undiscoveredwriter


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